



























































































3 ' 
























































































<-> 













































































^> 


























































A ~t, 















W 



s ■". 

















































A HISTORY 



...OF... 



Jackson County, Ohio 



...I5V.. 



D. W. WILLIAMS 



Volume i. 



THE SCIOTO SALT SPRINGS 



JACKSO.v. OHIO 
J 900 



VA 









PREFACE. 

The preparation of this work has been a labor of love. It was 
undertaken not for profit, but for the pleasure which I derive from 
the study of the past. I have been urged to write a complete his- 
tory of Jackson county. The material for such a work has been 
collected, but its publication will depend upon the reception ac- 
corded to this volume, which is devoted to the period from the 
advent of man to the sale of the Scioto Salt Springs. 

Jackson, O., May 22, 1900. 



INTRODUCTION — Jackson is the seat of justice of an Ohio 
county of the same name. It is situated on an eastern branch of 
the Scioto river, in latitude 39 degrees, L5 minutes, aorth, and 
longitude 82 degrees, 41 minutes and 4S seconds, west. It was laid 
out in 1817, on the north half of Section 29, in the Scioto Salt 
Reserve. This township had been set aside by Congress May 18, 
1796, on account of the salt springs within its limits. These springs 
or licks, are as old as the hills, for that erosion which carved out 
the valleys between, exposed the strata from which they flow. 
They were discovered by the wild animals of the forest, and became 
one of their most favored resorts long before man appeared upon 
the earth. No better evidence of this is needed than the great 
quantity of fossil remains of extinct animals, which have been 
discovered from time to time in the neighborhood of the licks. 

FOSSIL BONES — The story of the bones found imbedded in 
the valley of Salt crock forms an important chapter in the history 
of these licks. Fragments have been found in nearly all the wells, 
cisterns, mineshafts and railroad excavations in the lowland 
adjoining them. The greater number had decayed, but many of 
the larger hones were so well preserved that some of them were 
easily identified as having belonged to the mammoth, the mas- 
todon, the megatherium and other large animals of the prehistoric 
period. According to Hildreth, the Scioto Saline may be ranked 
with Hi.- Big Bone and Blue Licks in Kentucky for antiquity, from 
the fad of the fossil bones of the mastodon and elephant being 
found at the depth of thirty feet, imbedded in mud and clay. The 
remains of several of these extincl animals were discovered in 
digging wells for salt water, along the margin of the creek, consist- 
ing of tusks, grinders, ribs and vertebrae, showing this creek to 
have been a noted resort for these huge mammalia. The hones 
of the mammoth predominated in the deposits discovered. 

THE MAMMOTH— This name was probably borrowed from 
the Russian, although some claim ihat ii is a corruption of the 
Arabic word, behemoth. In modern asage it is applied to an ex- 

5 



History of Jackson County. 



tinct form of elephant. It differed greatly from the elephant of 
today, for it had a thick coat of hair, or wool, which enabled it 
to withstand the great cold of the Ice Age. The Scioto Licks were 
situated south of the Glacier, and a remnant of the mammoth 
may have survived in their neighborhood until after the close of the 
Glacial Period. There is a local tradition related by an old Indian 
chief to some of the early salt boilers, which confirms this belief. 
It is the story of the death of the "Big Buffalo." Seeing a pile of 
bones which had been thrown out of a salt well, he explained that 
they belonged to the Big Buffalo. The whites questioned him 
further, and he gladly told the whole story, as follows: 

"Long before the Shawanese came into this land to hunt the 
buffalo, deer, elk and bear, there was a great water, which filled 
all the valleys and covered all the low ground and even the tops of 
the low hills. The water had come slowly from everywhere and 
flowed in where it had never been before. It drowned all the 
beaver houses, and was deep over the salt springs and licks. The 
game was all driven out of the low ground and roamed on the 
hills. The animals were fearful, for the 'Big Buffalo' were on the 
hills and killed everything before them. The Indians were forced 
to fly to the highest rocks, where they looked down upon the great 
water rising all around and threatening to drown the land. The 
animals did not fear them, but came near them to escape from the 
Big Buffalo. At last only the tops of the hills and ridges appeared 
above the waters, and it was very cold. The Indians lived in the 
rocks and the Big Buffalo could not reach them, but they could 
shoot their arrows and throw their spears at them, and some of 
them they killed. At last the water began to fall, but there was 
a lake left, which reached north and south. But the water would 
not stay. It broke out to the north, and also to the south, with 
great roaring, making a way through the hills until the water was 
all gone except a small lake where the salt springs are. The Big 
Buffalo went into this lake to drink and became fast in the mud 
and died there, and their bones, are deep in the ground. When 
the Big Buffalo were all gone, the animals which had fled before 
them, came back, and the Shawanese came here to hunt them, until 
the white man forced them to make their home near the Big Lakes."" 



History of Jackson County. 



A JACKSON COUNTY MAMMOTH— No perfect specimen of 
this animal has been found in the immediate neighborhood of the 
iicks, but the last resting place of one was found in 1835, on a 
branch of Salt creek, not many miles away. An examination of 
the remains was made by Caleb Briggs in 1837. His report has 
been preserved and is as follows: About two years ago, some 
bones so large as to attract the attention of the inhabitants became 
exposed in the bank of one of the branches of Salt creek, in the 
northwest part of Jackson county. They were dug out by indi- 
viduals in the vicinity, from whom we obtained a tooth, a part of 
the lower jaw, and some ribs. In the examinations at this place 
during the past season it was concluded to make further explora- 
tions, not only with the hope of finding other bones, but with 
a view to ascertaining the situation and the nature of the materials 
in which they were found. The explorations were successful. 
There were found some mutilated and decayed fragments of the 
skull, two grinders, two patellae, seven or eight ribs, as many 
vertebrae and a tusk. Most of these are nearly perfect, except the 
bones of the head. The tusk, though it retained its natural shape 
as it lay in the ground, yet being very frail, it was necessary to saw 
it into four pieces, in order to remove it. The following are the 
dimensions of the tusk, taken before it was removed from the place 
in which it was found: 

Length on the outer curve, 10 feet 9 inches; on the inner curve, 
8 feet 9 inches; circumstances at base, 1 foot 9 inches; 2 feet from 
base, 1 foot 10 inches; 4 feet from base, 1 foot 11 inches; 7% feet 
from base, 1 foot 7% inches. This tusk weighed, when taken from 
the earth, 180 pounds. The weight of the largest tooth is 8 1-4 
pounds. 

These bones were dug from the bank of a creek near the water, 
where they were found under a superincumbent mass of stratified 
materials 15 to 18 feet in thickness. The section carefully taken on 
the ground will give a correct idea of the arrangement of the 
materials, and the relative position in which these interesting 
fossils were found. 

No. 1 is a yellowish clay, or loam, which now forms the surface 
of a swamp about one mile in length, and one-fourth to half a mile 



History of Jackson County. 



in breadth; it is covered with large forest trees, many of which 
from their size must have been growing some centuries — 5 1-2 feet. 

No. 2. This layer is a yellowish sandy clay — 7 1-2 feet. 

No. 3 is an irregular layer of ferruginous sand, tinged with 
shades of red and yellow, and partially cemented with iron — 4 to 
8 inches. 

No. 4 is a chocolate colored clay or mud, the inferior part of 
which contains the remains of a few gramineous plants, very much 
decayed — 2 feet. 

No. 5. Sandy clay, colored like No. 4, but a little lighter — 
1 1-2 feet. 

No. 6 is the stratum containing the bones. It consists, judg- 
ing from external characters, of sand and clay, containing a large 
proportion of animal and vegetable matter — 1 to 1 1-2 feet. 

These bones, from their position, had evidently been subjected 
to some violence before they were covered with the stratified de- 
posits which have been described. The jaw and grinders, with the 
other bones which we have thus slightly noticed, evidently belong 
to an extinct species of the elephant, now found in a fossil state. 
As the teeth differ from any which are figured and described in 
the books to which I have access at the present time, it is possible 
they may belong to an undescribed species. 

THE MASTODON— The last important find of fossil bones 
near the licks was made July 8, 1888. According to the Journal, 
"workmen, while employed in digging a well near the electric light 
plant last Friday, discovered parts of the skeleton of an animal 
that are supposed to be the remains of a mastodon. When about 
17 feet below the bed of Salt creek they first found some ribs that 
measured 48 inches from tip to tip, and one and three-fourths 
inches in width; further down a large bone that weighed eleven 
pounds, measured eleven and one-half inches in circumference in 
the center, seventeen and one-third inches at one end, twenty inches 
in length, and is supposed to be one of the bones of the foreleg. 
Dr. B. F. Kitchen had some excavating done on Saturday and 
found a large tooth about four inches in length." Further excavat- 
ing might have unearthed the whole skeleton, but the city had no 



History of Jackson County. 



time or money to spend on scientific investigations. The mastodon 
was closely allied to the elephant, and was given its name on 
account of the conical projections on its molar teeth. 

The Megatherium — The following statement is from the pen 
of Caleb Briggs, who visited the licks in 1837: "Some of the salt 
wells in Jackson county were dug in a deposit of clay, sand and 
gravel, occupying a basin shaped cavity in the superior part of the 
conglomerate. In nearly all these wells were found fossil bones 
consisting of jaw teeth, tusks, vertebrae, ribs, etc., which from the 
descriptions given by Mr. Crookham belong to extinct species of 
animals. From his descriptions, remains of the Megatherium and 
of the fossil elephant were among the number." Crookham was a 
born naturalist, and his statements are entitled to credence, but 
it is rather remarkable that the bones of this gigantic animal, 
allied to the anteaters and the sloths of the tropics, should have 
been found in such close proximity to the bones of the mammoth 
of the arctic circle. This fact goes to prove the great antiquity 
of the licks, for the megatherium must have visited them long 
before the Ice Age began. But he had the same appetite for salt 
shared by his fellow victims of later ages. Attracted by the water 
oozing from the salt marsh above the licks, he ventured in too far 
and was mired, and his bones marked the spot of his last strug- 
gles. In time, they were covered by the bones of other victims of 
the same appetite, and lay commingled until man came to disturb 
them, and learn the fate of their owners. 

WILD GAME — All the animals of the forest resorted to these 
licks. Many were attracted by the saline waters, while others 
came to prey upon the former. -Great herds of buffalo and elk, 
and thousands of deer roamed in the valley and upon the hills at 
certain seasons, and bears, panthers, wolves and wildcats followed 
in their train. The smaller animals, lynxes, foxes, raccoons, wild 
turkeys and many others could not remain away. The presence of so 
many animals must have been a part of the attraction for the 
mammalia of the prehistoric period. • The region must have been 
a rich game preserve for primeval man. It is known that it was 
one of the favorite hunting grounds of the Ohio Indians. The 



io History of Jackson County, 



early Bettlers were attracted to the neighborhood of the licks Cor 
the same reason, [ndeed, according to Finley, the first settlers 
could not have sustained themselves had it not been for the wild 
game that was m the country. This was their principal subsist- 
encej and this they took at the peril of their lives, and often 
main of them came near starving to death. Wild meat without 
bread, or salt, was often their food for weeks together, if they 
obtained bread, the meal was pounded in a mortar, or ground in. 
a handmill. Hominy was a good substitute for bread, or parched 
corn pounded and sifted, then mixed with a little sugar ami eaten 
dry; or mixed with water as a good beverage. On this coarse fare 
the people wme remarkably healthy and cheerful. No Complaints 
were heard o( dyspepsia; 1 never heard o( this fashionable com- 
plaint till l was more than thirty years old; and if the emigrants 
had come to these backwoods with dyspepsia, they would not 
have been troubled long with it. for a few months' living on 
buffalo, venison ami ixood fat bear meat, with the oil of the rac- 
coon and opossum mixed up with plenty o\' hominy would soon 
have effected a cure. A more hardy rare of men and women grew 
up in this wilderness than has ever been produced since. Almost 
ever} man and bo\ were hunters, and some o( the women of those 
times were expert in the chase. The game which was considered 
the most profitable and useful was the buffalo, the elk. the bear 
and the deer. The smaller game consisted of raccoon, turkey. 
opossum and ground hog. The panther was sometimes used for 
food, and considered b\ some as good. The flesh of the wolf and 
wild cat was only used when nothing else could be obtained. 

The licks removed much o\' the danger o( the hunt, for the 
hunter found it necessary onlj to wait under cover until the game 
he sought should appear. In a few minutes his sure rifle brought 
down enough meat to last him a month. All the old hunters have 
passed away to the happy hunting ground. James 11. Darling, 
new dead, knew some of them, and on his last visit to Ohio he 
related the following meager details of the days of wild game: 
"\ have seen bears, wolves, panthers, wild cats and deer in this 
county, I have seen as many as 20 deer together. I once saw a 
wild cat in a tree, when I was very young, and 1 thought it was a 



History ov Jackson County. 11 

fox. I « • I i 1 1 1 1 »* -« l the tree and it jumped a1 me and knocked me 
oil' to Mk' ground. The dogs k r oi after LI and Mr. Winfough shot 
it. we had to pen up the sheep a1 aighl to keep the wolves from 
killing them. I have killed wild cats and have caughl many wild 
turkeys. We caughl them in rail pens. We would build a square 
pen and would then dig a trench from the outside to the middle 
of ili«' pen, covering the pari of the trench inside of the pen with 
boards, ;ill excepl an opening a! the end. We then spread corn 
in the woods and along the bottom of the trench. The wild tur- 
keys would discover the corn and would follow it until they came 

out ;i! I lie end of I Ik- trench inside of t lie pen. They would then 

continue to look up and would never find the hole at which they 
came in. We would sometimes catch L5 to 20 turkeys ai a time. 

The woods wore then full of wild hogs also, and we killed them to 

eat. We always skinned them. Their meal was no1 very good. 
There was u bear killed where Coalton now is about. L823. It had 

broken into the hog pen Of a man named Alllire and had almost. 
eaten lip one hog when it was discovered. Levi I)avis, who lived 

near Berlin, was a greal deer hunter. Be would hunt at night, 

and WOUld carry a pan of coals on his shoulder. The ligh.1 would 
attrad the attention of the deer, and he would then be able to 

see its reflection in their eyes and be able to take aim." 

THE BUFFALO hew people ever stop to think that count- 
less herds of buffaloes once roamed in the valleys of the Ohio and 
its tributaries. They visited the Scioto Licks so regularly and in 

such numbers that their paths looked like greai roads. One of 
these, which used tb run down the middle branch of Sail creek, 

was visited in L837 by Charles Whittlesey, who wrote the following 
description of it: "Down the valley of this branch passes the 
greal 'buffalo path/ leading from the licks a1 Jackson to licks 

upon the north fork, alioul thirty miles distant. It is at present 

distinctly traceable throughout, over hills and across valleys, and 
pursues the most dired practicable route. The appearance is 
that of a gully, cut in the soil from one to four feet deep by a 
sudden torrent, and partially Idled again by the effects of time. 

There ;ue occasional cavities, called bulTalo wallows, where it is 
Said the animal amused himself in his travels by rolling and 



12 Histoky ok Jackson County. 

pawing in the dust like cattle. It appears by a statement of Mr. 
Edward livers, of Jackson county, thai individuals of the buffalo 
race have been killed on the Raccoon, Synimes' and Salt creeks 
wi1 liin thirty years." 

Many have wondered how the huge wallows were formed. 
Catlin, who was an eye witness of the making of some such 
wallows on the western plains, furnishes the following descrip- 
tion: "In the heal of summer these huge animals, which, no doubt, 
suffer very much with the great profusion of their long and shaggy 
hair or fur often graze on the low grounds in the prairies, where 
there is a little stagnant water lying among the grass, and the 
ground underneath being saturated with it, is soft, into which 
the enormous bull, lowered down upon one knee, will plunge his 
horns, and at last his head, driving up the earth, and soon making 
an excavation in the ground, into which the water filters from 
amongst the grass, forming for him in a few moments, a cool and 
comfortable bath, into which he plunges like a hog in his mire. 
In this delectable laver he throws himself flat upon his side, and 
forcing himself violently around, with his horns and his huge 
hump on his shoulders presented to the sides he ploughs up the 
ground by his rotary motion, sinking himself deeper and deeper 
in the ground, continually enlarging his pool, in which he at 
length becomes nearly immersed, and the water and mud about 
him mixed into a complete mortar, which changes his color, and 
drips in streams from ^\c\y part of him as he rises up on his feet, 
a hideous monster of mud ami ugliness, too frightful and too 
eccentric to be described. It is generally the leader of the herd 
that takes upon himself to make this excavation, and if not (but 
another one opens the ground), the leader (who is conqueror), 
marches forward, and driving the other from it. plunges himself 
into it: and. having cooled his sides and changed himself to a 
walking mass of mud and mortar, he stands in the pool until 
inclination induces him to step out and give place to the next in 
command, who stands ready, and another and another, win* ad- 
vance forward in their turns to enjoy the luxury of a wallow, until 
the whole band (sometimes a hundred or more) will pass through 
it in turn; each one throwing his body around in a similar manner 



History ov Jackson County. 13- 

and each one adding a little to the dimensions of the pool, while 
he carries away in his hair an equal share of the clay, which dries 
to a grey or whitish color, and gradually falls off. By this opera- 
tion, which is done perhaps in the space of half an hour, a circular 
excavation of fifteen or twenty feet in diameter, and two feet in 
depth, is completed and left for the water to run into, which soon 
fills it to the level of the ground. To these sinks the water lying 
on the surface of the prairies are continually draining, and in 
them lodging their vegetable deposits, which after a lapse of year& 
fill them up to the surface with rich soil, which throws up an 
unusual growth of grass and herbage, forming conspicuous circles,, 
which arrest the eye of the traveler and are calculated to excite 
his surprise for ages to come." While the buffalo remainded in the 
county, they served the settlers as their most common food. Finley 
says thai their wool was often spun and woven into cloth by the 
women, and sometimes it was mixed with raccoon fur and knit into- 
stockings, which were very warm and serviceable. After the wool 
was taken off, the hide answered a valuable purpose. Being cut 
into strips and twisted, it made strong tugs, which were used for 
plowing. When dressed, it was made into shoe packs, or a kind of 
half shoe and half moccasin. The manner of hunting the buffalo 
was as follows: A company was formed, well supplied 
with dogs and guns. Being mounted on horses, they started for 
the woods. When a herd was found, one of the company would 
creep up softly and fire into their midst; then the whole company 
would rush in upon them with their dogs, which would throw them 
into confusion. After all had discharged their pieces, the dogs 
would attack them; and while they were engaged in fighting with 
the dogs, the hunters would have time to reload and pursue the 
chase. After the conflict was over, they would return and collect 
the spoil. To enable the horses to carry them, they would take out 
the entrails, and split them in two, and then throw them over the 
packsaddles, and carry them home. The coming of the settlers soon 
made the Ohio Valley a dangerous range for these animals, but a 
few lingered on until the end of the last century. It was only nat- 
ural that they should have lingered longest in the neighborhood of 
the Scioto licks, which had been their favorite resort for countless- 



14 History of Jackson County. 

centuries. The last buffaloes in Ohio were killed in Jackson county. 
Hildreth wrote in 1837: "Two were killed in the sandy forks of 
•Symmes creek near the southeastern corner of Jackson county in 
1800." A letter writer in the Western Agriculturist for October, 
1851, corrects and closes the record of the Ohio buffalo, as follows: 
"In 1843, an old hunter of Jackson county, Mr. George Willis, told 
us that he saw the last buffalo killed within the limits of the state. 
He was shot by a hunter named Keenes near the headwaters of 
Symmes creek, in the year 1802. It is, therefore, less than fifty 
years since the wild ox was finally exterminated in Ohio. The 
paths made by buffalo in traveling to and from the salt licks in 
Jackson county are still visible, and look like old and deeply worn 
wagon roads." 

THE ELK— The elk go in droves like the buffaloes, but take 
alarm more readily and escape faster. They bound away, says 
Finley, with the velocity almost of lightning and run three or four 
miles in a straight line without stopping. Their antlers are some- 
times very large, and this handicaps them in their efforts to escape, 
when found in the timber. They lingered in Jackson county until 
about 1805, but after that the hunters became too numerous, and 
they moved on toward the setting sun. 

SOME BEAR STORIES— The black bear was common in 
Jackson county for several years after its organization, and one 
was killed in Jefferson township as late as 1831. According to 
Finley, the flesh of the bear is the most delicious, as well as the 
most nutritious, of any food. The bear seems to be an awkward, 
■clumsy, inactive animal; but they can climb the highest trees with 
great facility. When lean, they can run with great rapidity and 
fight with tremendous fury., They will become immensely fat on 
good mast, so much so that it is sometimes difficult for them to 
move very quickly. When rendered thus unwieldy, they will, by 
a peculiar instinct, seek some cave in a rock, or hollow tree, where 
they will hibernate, and about the latter part of March, waking 
from their winter's sleep, they will come forth to greet the opening 
•spring. They prefer the beech nut to any other food. Should there 



History ov Jackson County. 15 

be no beech mast, then they must go to the chestnut, and if these 
fail, to the white and black oak woods. These animals become very 
poor in summer, and live on lesser animals, if they can take them, 
or upon the wild honey, which they take from the yellow jacket 
ov bumblebee. They will turn over large logs in quest of this food. 
At this season of the year they attack the swine, and have been 
known to carry off large hogs. They were also very troublesome 
in cornfields about roasting-ear time. These animals, in the fall, 
before the time of mast, climb up trees, pull in the limbs, and 
gather the fruit, which is called lopping. The hunter or back* 
woodsman, for all backwoodsmen were hunters, made his summer 
bacon out of bear meat, lie would take out the fat and salt it, if 
he had salt, aud then hang it up to smoke. The fat was rendered 
into oil, which was put away in deer skins, neatly and cleanly 
dressed for the purpose. This oil served many valuable purposes 
to llie hunter, supplying the place of butter and hog's lard. He 
could fry his venison and turkey in it, and if he had neither of these, 
it was admirable sop for corn dodger; and when mixed with his 
jerk (dried venison) and parched corn, was regarded as one of the 
greatest delicacies of a hunter's larder. 

Perhaps the largest bear ever killed in Jackson county was 
the one that gave John Farney such a fight near the site of Jackson 
Furnace, then a part of Scioto county. It was in the year L813. 
Farney was out hunting and discovered the bear about the same 
time that it discovered Farney. He drew up his gun to shoot, but 
it missed fire, and he had to drop it, for the bear was rushing upon 
him. He then threw his tomahawk at bruin, but it glanced without 
injuring him. The bear then closed with him. and Farney was 
compelled to fight with his hunting knife. He did so to good effect, 
and lived to be Commissioner of Jackson county. But he never 
sought another bear fight. 

The following account of a bear killed near Clay was written 
by ( '. W. Brady: "I have been tracing up lately the following 
story: There is a poplar tree about three and one-half feet in 
diameter, standing in a patch of timber owned by Aaron llenson, 
aboui one-half mile northwest of Cross Roads. The tree is a mere 
shell and broken off at the top. In this tree was killed what is said 



16 History of Jackson County. 

to have been the last bear killed in this county. The date was- 
January 17, 1821. James, Samuel and Smith Stephenson were 
working some distance away when two well-trained hunting dogs, 

which had been brought from Virginia, bayed something in the 
woods. The boys all ran to the dogs immediately. Samuel, being 
fond of such sport, was first to this poplar tree, but, unlike t he- 
Apostle John, he put his head in the hole, thinking it was an 
opossum or some other small animal, but he discovered that the 
animal was too large to be dragged out by main strength. Smith 
was sent for a gun. The dogs were encouraged by the other two 
boys, and one of them took hold of the bear. In order to catch the 
dogs, bruin jumped out of the hole far enough to be recognized. 
James, being equal to the occasion, grasped a pole ax and struck the 
bear over the head, but the blow was not sufficient to kill it. It 
jumped back and the dogs after it. Being infuriated, it instantly 
stuck its head out again and James struck it a second blow, which 
proved fatal. After considerable effort it was delivered from the 
tree. A horse of medium size was brought and the bear thrown 
across his back. The bear was so long that it touched the ground on 
both sides of the horse. When they got it home they weighed it, and 
it weighed 400 pounds. It was dressed and many of the neighbors 
were furnished a mess of bear meat. The parents of Mrs. Henry 
Hu'nsinger of Jackson and Dr. Newell of South Webster were mar- 
ried the following day and had bear steak for dinner. The bear was 
very fat and had made but one trip from its winter lair. William 
Buckley, of Camba, father of the William Buckley who now resides 
there, found its track and followed it almost to its den, but 1he 
snow had partly disappeared and he could not follow it any farther. 
Four bears came through here afterwards, but none of them were 
killed." One pleasant afternoon in October, 1892, I walked out to 
the old Kessinger homestead east of Jackson to visit William Kes- 
singer, who was then the oldest man living in the county. When I 
turned in at the gate, he was at the woodpile splitting kindling. 
although he was almost 95 years old. He greeted me cordially and 
im ited me into the house, where he talked to me for an hour about 
the olden times. His wife, only two years younger than he, was 
present and participated in the conversation. William Kessinger 



History OF Jackson County. 17 

was born November 1, 1707. His wife, Sarah Miller, was born 
August 24, 1799. They were married May '21, 1819, and they re- 
moved from Virginia to this county in 1820. The most interesting 
incident related by Mr. Kessinger was the following account of the 
killing of a hear: "I once helped to kill a bear. This was in Feb- 
ruary, 1821. Reuben Dickason, near whom 1 lived then, had a dog 
thai used to hunt alone at night. When if had treed a raccoon, 
Dickason would go out ami kill it. One night, when it had treed 
an animal of some kind, Dickason asked me to go with him to see 
what we would find. When we drew near the spot, which was on 
land now (1892) owned by H. P. McGhee, we discovered that the 
dog had treed larger game than usual. He was barking at the foot 
of a hollow tree, and it did not take us long to discover that there 
was a bear inside. We had only our axes for weapons, so I kept 
watch while Dickason went after his gun. It was an old flintlock 
and would not shoot. He brought it, however, and after loading it 
and aiming it at the hole in the tree, I touched it off with a coal 
of fire. The charge took effect, but we reloaded the gun and 
touched the old thing off a second time. This put an end to the 
bear and we dragged it out. Both charges had taken effect. After 
dragging it out, we found three cubs also in the hollow rree." The 
last hear killed in the county was shot by William Whitt, at the 
head of Cub Run, in Jefferson township, in the winter of 1831. It 
had been discovered earlier in the day near Gallia Furnace's site 
by the Massie boys, who fired at it, but failed to bring it down. They 
pursued it in the snow for several hours, but were disappointed at 
last, for toward evening they came upon William Whitt in the act 
of hanging il up. Although he had killed it, (hey claimed it on the 
ground that they had wounded it in the morning, a fact that was 
not clearly established. Whitt was alone and surrendered the bear 
to them, but sued them afterwards. The result of the lawsuit has 
not been ascertained, but the Massios ale the bear meat. The animal 
was young, and the run on which it was killed has been known as 
Cub Run ever since. 

DP^ER — Finley remarks that the deer is the most beautiful 
wild animal that roams in American forests. They change their 



18 History of Jackson County. 

color three times a year, and every winter they cast their horns. 
The color they assume in the spring is red, in the fall it is blue, and 
in the winter it is gray. Their skins are most valuable when 
in the red or blue. The meat of the deer is the sweetest and most 
easily digested of all animal food. The skin was manufactured 
into almost all kinds of clothing, such as hunting shirts, waist- 
coats, pantaloons, leggins, petticoats, moccasins, sieves, wallets 
and sometimes shirts. It was perhaps to the backwoods families 
the most useful of all animals. The dressing of the deer skins did 
not require a long process. They generally cut out the garment 
with a butcher knife, and used an awl insteal of a needle, and the 
sinews of the deer instead of thread. 

Deer were common in this county until 1845. Many now living 
have seen herds of them as late as the years of the war. A few 
lingered until 1870, visiting the old deer licks at certain periods. 
Two deer were killed in 1807, between this city and Raysville, and 
their skins brought to Jackson for sale. They brought $5 each. 
These are the last known to have been killed in the county. The 
hams when salted and dried were known as "jerk." Deer were 
usually found in the winter time near laurel, on which they fed 
without any inconvenience to themselves. 

PANTHERS — The panther when hungry would attack man 
himself, and was the most dreaded inhabitant of the forest. Its 
favorite mode of attack was to leap from a tree upon its victim, 
and the hunters that visited deer licks to lie in wait for deer, 
would often find a panther doing the same. This animal left the 
county early, but a pair were killed near the house of Joshua 
Evans, in Hewitt's Fork, in the winter of 1837. They had been 
hunted with dogs from the hills of Scioto county, and were the last- 
seen in this county. 

WOLVES — Finley well says that the wolf is the most sneaking 
and thievish of all animals. He is seldom seen in the daytime, but 
prowls about and howls all night. He is remarkably cowardly, and 
will never attack unless he has greatly the advantage. Their skins 
are worth but little and their flesh is never eaten, except by those 
who may be in a starving condition. Wolves were regarded as such 



History of Jackson County. 19 

pests, that the Legislature passed a law allowing County Commis- 
sioners to pay a premium for wolf scalps. On July 3, 1816, the 
following entry was made in the Journal of the Commissioners of 
Jackson county: "It is ordered that the premium on wolf scalps 
be as follows: On wolves under six months, fl; all over the age 
of six months, $2." The first premium paid under this order was al- 
lowed November 25, 1816, to Adam Altire, who had produced the 
scalps of two young wolves. Jonathan Delay was allowed $2 on 
April 8, 1817, for the scalp of a grown wolf. With the introduction 
of sheep into the county, the wolves became such a terror that the 
Commissioners found it necessary for the public good to increase 
the premium, and on June 3, 1822, it was ordered that a premium 
of $1.50 be paid on all wolves under six months, and $3 for the 
scalps of all others. This made wolf hunting profitable, and many 
farmers that raised sheep and young cattle bought wolf traps. 
Davis Mackley described one of these traps as follows: Wolves 
were the terror of the early settlers. Sometimes they were caught 
in large traps. They often killed my father's young cattle, and 1 
remember once he borrowed Dr. McNeal's wolf trap, and had it 
set several nights, but he never caught a wolf in it. One morning 
he went to the trap and found a very large wildcat in it. He killed 
it with a club and came home with it on his shoulders. It was a 
yellowish color, and was as large as he could well carry. These 
wolf traps were a very powerful thing. A man's weight on the 
spring was not sufficient to bend the spring so as to set it, and the 
spring had to be pressed down with a lever. When the trap was 
sprung, the great jaws, which had teeth fitting between each other, 
came together with a clash that could be heard a long distance, and 
the trap would almost jump from the ground. 

By the year 1830, wolves had become scarcer, and the premiums 
were reduced. An occasional pack would be found, however, for 
several years afterward. Gary Boyd killed a wolf on Black Fork 
in 1834, which some claim to have been the last killed in the county. 
The Commissioners' Journal shows, however, that George Byers 
was allowed $3, May 9, 1838, for the scalps of six wolves under six 
months. 



20 History of Jackson County. 

BEAVER — The Indians and the earliest trappers in this coun- 
ty regarded the several branches of Symines and Salt creeks as 
the richest beaver resorts of the western country. There were 
quite a number of beaver ponds on Grassy Fork, some half dozen 
ponds on Salt Creek south of Jackson, and the Black Fork was a 
beaver hive from Gallia Furnace to its headwaters. The Indians 
secured all the beaver fur they wanted without any wanton de- 
struction of the dams, and the beaver remained in the county until 
the salt boilers came. Then began a ruthless slaughter. The dams 
were broken, and the ponds drained, and the beaver soon disap- 
peared. The last were killed at the pond near the big sulphur 
spring on the land now owned by D. W. Davis, of Jefferson town- 
ship. The agency of the beaver in changing the course of several 
of the creeks should be mentioned. 

THE RACCOON — This animal was found in such numbers in 
this section of the state that the name was given to one of its 
largest streams. It is mentioned here, because its skin was used as 
a circulating medium among the backwoodsmen. Coin was very 
scarce, and much of the paper was of no more value than the rags 
out of which it had been made. But the coon skin was always 
worth a quarter of a dollar, and passed for such when coin was 
not procurable, until after the organization of the county. 

THE LAST OTTER — Otters were very numerous in this 
county in early days, especially near the beaver ponds on the sev- 
eral branches of Symmes Creek. They lived in holes in the rocks 
near the ponds. One of their peculiar habits was sliding down the 
steep bank into a creek or pond. It was on account of this habit 
of theirs that smooth slopes were compared to otter slides. Once 
the otter entered the water, the hunter found it almost impossible 
to shoot it with the old fashioned flint-lock gun, for the otter could 
see the flash and dodge the bullet. After the breaking up of the 
beaver dams, the otters gradually disappeared, but a few remained 
on Grassy Fork of Symmes until 1857, three being killed in Madi- 
son township that year. The last pair seen in the county were 
killed in 1874, on Black Fork. The male was discovered one morn- 



History ok Jackson County. 



ing by William Jenkins, on the farm of his father, Realva Jenkins, 
some distance from the creek. He chased it with his dogs, ajid 
killed it with a club. Some two weeks later, he and his brother 
John were passing a beaver pond on the land of Mary Davis 
further down the creek. T. J. Morgan and his brother S. J. Morgan 
called to them and informed them that a strange animal was run- 
ning in the water. The dogs were set on it, and Jenkins soon dis- 
patched it with a club. It was a female, and the supposition is 
. hat it was the mate of the one killed two weeks before. The skin 
of the male measured eight feet and that of the female six feet. 
They were sold for $8 and $5 respectively. 

PRIMEVAL MAN — It is claimed that man appeared upon the 
•?arth before the close of the Ice Age. The question is indetermin- 
able, but even the Bible hints that the climate became colder after 
the creation of Adam, for it says: Unto Adam also, and to his 
wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them. Per- 
sons accustomed to w T ear only figleaves would not have needed 
clothes of skin, unless there had been a change of climate. At any 
rate it was a cold day when our first parents were turned out of 
the Garden of Eden. It will never be known when man appeared 
in Ohio, but if he came before the close of the Glacial period, there 
are reasons for believing that he must have lived near the Scioto 
licks. Geologists tell us that during the floods of that period, 
Southern Ohio was converted into a lake by the waters backed up 
by the Cincinnati ice dam. During the existence of that lake, only 
three of the highest ridges remained above the waters, and they 
became islands for the time. Two of those ridges were in Jackson 
county. It is not too violent a presumption to suggest that the 
men of that period must have sought refuge on these highlands. If 
this theory be accepted, it will have to be conceded that some of 
the mounds on the high hills of Jefferson and Hamilton townships 
may be the oldest human relics in the Ohio valley. Little is known 
of primeval man. His life was a fierce struggle with the elements 
and the gigantic animals of his day. He has left no record save 
his ball of flint and a few rude tools. Carlyle thus describes his 
lot: Miserable, indeed, was the condition of the aboriginal savage, 



22 History of Jackson County. 

glaring fiercely from under his fleece of hair, which, with the beard 
reached down to his loins and hung round him like a matted cloak; 
the rest of his body sheeted in its thick natural fell. He loitered 
in the sunny glades of the forest, living on wild fruits; or, as the 
ancient Caledonian, squatted himself in morasses, lurking for his 
bestial or human prey; without implements, without arms, save 
the ball of heavy flint, to which, that his sole possession and de- 
fense might not be lost, he had attached a long cord of plaited 
thongs; thereby recovering as well as hurling it with deadly un- 
erring skill." A relic was found by Prof. J. W. Hank, in August,. 
1894, which may have been one of those very balls. It was found 
in digging a grave in Fairmount cemetery. It lay at a depth of three 
feet under the sod, between the clay and the sandy slate. Its pres- 
ence at such a depth on a hilltop, indicates that it must have lain 
in the same spot for scores of centuries, and it may have been em- 
ployed by an aboriginal savage in one of his conflicts with the 
mastodon or other animal of that period. 

THE MOUND BUILDERS— There are at least five hundred 
earthworks within twenty miles of the licks, which belong to the 
age of the Mound Builders. It has not been clearly established 
who they were or when they lived in this region, but we know that 
they loved to live near the licks. Their works consist of mounds 
of all sizes, circles, rectangles, and half enclosed areas. The larger 
structures in this county are always situated on elevated ground. 
Their use is not known. Whittlesey, who visited them in 1837, 
advanced the theory that they could not have been used in war. 
He said: "The principal enclosures are rectangles or circles, weak 
figures, without ditches, made weaker by numerous openings, not 
only in the sides, but at the corners. The subordinate parts of 
large works, and the small isolated ones, sometimes have ditches,, 
but always, as far as I have seen, on the inside, though cases of ex- 
tensive fossa are said to exist. The main figure always occupies 
ground accessible on all sides, and no spring or receptacle of water 
is found within the walls. Other equally good reasons might be 
advanced why these structures are not adapted, and were not de- 
signed, either for attack or defense under any supposable mode of 



History of Jackson County. 23 

human warfare." The most important of their works in this county 
is located near the licks and is known, locally, as the Old Fort. 

THE OLD FORT— This is the name by which the ancient 
earthwork on McKitterick's hill, northwest of Jackson, is generally 
known. There were two of these works on the McKitterick farm 
in early days, but the eastern one, inside of which the house was 
erected, has been almost obliterated. They were visited by Charles 
Whittlesey in 1837, when he was engaged upon the first geological 
survey of Ohio and described as follows: "No. 1 is situated in Lick 
township, Jackson county, Ohio, on the west half of the northeast 
quarter of section 19, Township 7, Range 18, on high ground, about 
one-fourth of a mile northwest of Salt Creek. The soil is clayey, 
the work slight, with only one opening, which is on the east, and 
to my knowledge, without running water in the vicinity. The ditch 
being interior, indicates that the work was built for some other 
purpose than defence, probably for ceremonial uses. No. 2 is on the 
same quarter section on the east half, and lies near the road from 
Jackson to Richmond, on the left hand. The prospect from the 
mound is extended and delightful. On the west between this and 
No. 1, is a ravine and a small stream. As the soil is sandy, it is 
certain that the mound attached to the rectangle on the southwest 
was somewhat higher at first that it is at present. Neither of these 
works are perfectly square or rectangular, but irregular in form, 
approaching a square. No. 2 is clearly not a work of defence, and 
was probably intended as a high place, for superstitious rites. A 
more charming spot for such observances could not be chosen, if 
we admit that external circumstances and scenery had any connec- 
tion with the sentiments of the worshipers, and we must allow 
that the Mound Builders were alive to the beauty of the scenery." 
The writer had a survey of the Old Fort made in July, 1894. The 
dimensions were found to be as follows: Length 110 feet, width 
100 feet. From bottom of ditch to top of embankment at south- 
west corner is three feet and four inches; height of embankment 
six inches. From bottom of ditch at southeast corner to top of 
embankment is five feet and six inches; the embankment is two 
feet high. Distance from inside ditch across to outside of embank- 



24 History of Jackson County. 

ment is lifty feet. The inclosure is level, and the entrance is on 
the east side. The Lnclosure is almost rectangular, but the em- 
bankment is more irregular. An oak seven feel in circumference 
Stands on the embankment near the southeast corner. There are 
a number of smaller trees growing on the embankment, and a few 
in the inclosure, but there are none in the ditch. The Old Fort 
stands on level ground, overlooked by several higher elevations. 
which proves conclusively that it could not have been intended 
for defence. There is no great quantity of water nearer than Salt 
Creek, a quarter of a mile away, which argues that it was not the 
long house of a village. Whittlesey failed to find any running water 
in the vicinity, but since the ground has been cleared, a number of 
coal springs have been discovered near. In short, there is a coal 
spring at the head of each branch of the several ravines adjacent. 
In the summer of L896, one of these springs, located a few hundred 
feet southeast of the old Port, dried up and Milton Cameron, who 
was clearing the land, cleaned it out in hopes of finding water. At 
a depth of about three feet, he came upon a pan scooped out in the 
sandrock where the stream had welled forth. There was nothing 
to show that the spring had ever been cleaned out by whites, and 
it is evident that this pan was the work of the fort builders. Its 
discovery just dies the belief that there may have been other springs 
nearer the Fort which were stopped up by its users, and have not 
yet been rediscovered. Only a few relics have been discovered near 
the Old Fort. The only specimen found inside the inclosure was 
a tine spear head, about four inches long. It was found accidentally 
by John F. Motz, when a lad. Samuel McKitterick, the present 
owner of the land, found a steel bladed ax May 5, L896, when plow- 
ing in the tield about one hundred yards south of the Port. The ax 
weighs one and one half pounds, is seven inches long, has a three 
inch blade and the eye measures I 1-8 in. x 1 1-2 in. The ax Is now 
owned by J. 11. Cochran. Another iron relic was found a few years 
ago by — Howe, at a charcoal pit about one hundred yards 

west of the Fort. It is a ball perhaps intended for a small cannon. 
It may have been placed long ago in the fork of a tree, and the 
wood grew over it, imbedding it, where it remained until burned 
out in the charcoal pit. These two relics, tomahaw 7 k and cannon 



History ok Jackson County. 25 

ball, point to a visit from whites at an early day. It is known that 
General Lewis led an army of Virginians through this country in 
L774, and they may have camped over aighl a1 the old Fort, and 
left these relics. The mound attached to Fori No. 2 was opened by 
McKitterick, who found a number of flints and the layer of ashes 
conimonlj found in the mounds in this county. The opening was 
ut ilized for a milk house. 

AX ARCHAEOLOGICAL FIND— A volume could be written 
about the remains of the Mound Builders in the neighborhood of 
the licks, their works and implements. One mound on the land of 
.Joseph Watson, east of the Inks, was opened a few years ago and 
evidences were found indicating that it had been a house mound, 
similar to those of the Mandans on I he Missouri. Perhaps the most 
important find in the county was the collection of flints discovered 
in April, 1898, near the Catholic cemetery. The following account 
was written at the time by F. E. Bingman, a local archaeologist: 
A discovery that is of more than usual interest to those who are 
archaeologically inclined, was made by Mr. George Goddard, one 
day last week. While engaged in plowing a piece of ground belong- 
ing to P. O'Malley, just south of the new Catholic cemetery, he 
noticed in the dead furrow several implements of flint. His curios- 
ity being excited, he made a further and careful examination, with 
the result of finding carefully stowed away the large number of 314 
implements. 

As near as could be determined by an examination made after- 
ward, the Hints were placed in a hole about fifteen inches across, 
and eighteen inches deep, the hole slightly narrowing toward the 
bottom. The top of the pile was about ten inches beneath the 
surface. 

The flints are all of one pattern, triangular in shape, with 
straight sides and convex base. In length they vary from one and 
three-quarters to three inches. The material of which they are made 
is foreign to this country, coming from the famous Flint Ridge 
quarries in lacking county, is fine grained and chipped much more 
readily than our coarser flint. The color ranges from nearly pure 
white, through reddish, to dark gray. The reddish colored are al- 
most translucent. 



26 History of Jackson County. 

Similar deposits have heretofore been found in this county,, 
notably one in the city cemetery, but none nearly so large as this. 

Within a few hundred yards of where this cache was found are 
five mounds, two of which are of unusual form, being surrounded 
by a ditch and low embankment. None of the five have been ex- 
plored, but would doubtless repay examination. The collection 
referred to is now in the possession of the writer. 

SALT — According to W. Robertson Smith, salt must have 
been quite unattainable to primitive man in many parts of the 
world. Many inland peoples regarded a salt spring as a special 
gift of the gods. The Germans waged war for saline streams. At a 
very early stage of progress, salt became a necessary of life to most 
nations, and it had been conjectured that the oldest trade routes 
were created for traffic in that commodity. Cakes of salt have been 
used as money in more than one part of the world, and it has been 
used as a medium of exchange in the markets of Shan down to our 
own time. From this it can be readily understood why the Mound 
Builders chose to dwell near the licks, in a country rough and 
barren compared with the rich valley of the Scioto. The absence 
of earthworks intended for protection, indicates that the licks were 
in a zone of peace. Perhaps a traffic was carried on with distant 
tribes. They lived here, at least, and the theory offered is the most 
plausible explanation for their choice of home. 

ROCK SHELTERS— The first topographical survey of Jack- 
son county was made by Charles Whittlesey in the summer of 1837. 
In his report to W. W. Mather, the State Geologist, he makes spe- 
cial mention of the sand rock bluffs with mural fronts, rising alter- 
nately on each bank of Salt Creek between Strong's Mill and 
Jackson. These bluffs add a wild and -romantic feature to the 
scenery and are visited by thousands of people every year. Some 
of them rise to the height of one hundred feet. The fronts of many 
remain comparatively unbroken, but in others, the lower strata 
have worn away faster than the upper, which now overhang and 
form rock shelters. In a few instances, the lower strata have re- 
ceded thirty to forty feet, and such shelters are spoken of locally 



History of Jackson County. 27 

as "caves." There are fifty or more of these rock shelters in the 
county. The first white visitors, who were hunters or trappers, 
discovered that the floors of these shelters are a mixture of sand 
and ashes. The makers of saltpetre who came later, disturbed the 
ashes and unearthed many bone fragments, shells, potsherds, and 
flints, granite and stone implements, but they were untutored, and 
these discoveries failed to whet their curiosity. The relics were 
saved for the moment, perhaps, but were soon cast aside. In some 
instances, perversity or ignorance led the finders to break the 
largest stone hammers and axes and to throw smaller ones into 
the waters of the creek. The extent of this vandalism will never 
be known. If any human skeletons were found by the saltpetre 
men, the fact has not been recorded. A few of the early pioneers 
were educated men, but none of them seem to have attached any 
special significance to these discoveries, although some of them 
made collections of the relics. In later years, boys learned to dig 
in these ash floors whenever they wanted "Indian" relics, and tons- 
of them have been discovered. Many were lost in time, visiting 
collectors have taken many others out of the county, but there yet 
remain a great number in private collections, which, if combined, 
would make a respectable showing. 

HUMAN SKELETONS— About thirty years ago a skull and 
other parts of a human skeleton were found in the ashes in a rock 
shelter on the land of Captain Samuel White in Liberty township. 
A similar find was made in a cave in Madison township. A third 
skeleton was found in 1883 by F. E. Bingman in a shelter on Salt 
Creek, and a fourth was found at the north end of McKitterick's 
sand bank. Bingman was digging for relics, but the other discov- 
eries were made by accident. Saturday, March 16, 1900, Strawder 
J. Swyers and Charles Faught were digging for relics in the ashes 
at the Tea Rocks and discovered a fifth skeleton. They came upon 
it unexpectedly and did not observe its position carefully. The 
skull was shattered in digging and the bones were brittle and broke 
in handling. The teeth were in good condition, indicating that 
they had belonged to a young person. The sex could not be deter- 
mined, but the finding of an arrowhead lying among the ribs in- 



28 History of Jackson County. 

dicate that the skeleton was that of a young brave who came to 
an untimely death. A number of arrowheads, a bone awl, and a 
piece of deer horn were found with it. This discovery started others 
to digging. Gray Halterman found two skeletons, and two young 
men named McGowan and Hoover found a fourth near by. These 
boys found also, a number of arrowheads, bone awls, potsherds, 
shells, bone fragments and broken stone or flint instruments. 
Wednesday, April 11, I visited the place and began to dig at ran- 
dom. Within five minutes, I shoveled up a fragment, which looked 
like a bit of pottery, but my son picked it up, and discovered that 
it was a piece of human skull. Digging more carefully, I uncovered 
the skull. It was that of a full grown man, and the condition of 
the teeth indicated that he had reached middle age. The upper 
part of the skull was intact. When first exposed, it was brown, but 
a fragment which I preserved is now whiter. The lower part of 
the skull had practically decomposed, but the teeth and one side 
of the lower jaw were in fair condition. The skull rested upright 
on a mass of bones, all of which were badly decomposed, but they 
were so arranged that it was easy to see that the dead man had 
been buried in a sitting posture. The skull was found about five 
feet below the level of the old floor, but my digging was made on 
the face of an excavation made by sand diggers. I shoveled up a 
number of potsherds, shells and bone fragments, and I dug through 
a, layer of fine charcoal, which lay about six inches above the skull. 
The charcoal had not been disturbed since the fire went out in it, 
until my shovel struck it. Its presence suggests a theory which 
will be mentioned later. The bones which I discovered had decom- 
posed more than the bones found by Swyer, but the latter lay under 
shelter and only three feet deep. Altogether, nine human skeletons 
have now been found in Jackson county rock shelters. The skele- 
ton found in Madison township may have been that of a white 
hunter, trapper or hermit, who died of disease or from the effects 
of injuries received in falling, or from a wild beast, but the other 
eight belonged, no doubt, to Indians. They must have been the 
skeletons of men killed in battle or skirmish, and buried hurriedly 
by comrades before they retreated from the neighborhood. The 
Indians always gave their dead decent burial, except in extremity. 



History ok Jackson County. 29- 



A brave has been known to carry the body of his boy home from 
a distance of one hundred miles, in order to bury him with his 
kindred. The burials were never made near camps or inside of 
shelters used as houses; therefore, the skeletons unearthed at the 
Tea Rocks were not buried in time of peace, or by the occupants 
of the shelter. The laj-er of charcoal under which I found skeleton 
No. 9 suggests the circumstances. The Indian dreads the loss of 
his scalp in war, and skeleton No. !> was buried by Ins comrades in 
the most unlikely place, and a fire kindled over his grave to con- 
ceal it, in order to prevent the enemy from scalping the corpse! 

STORY OF THE ASHES— The relics found in the rock shel- 
ters are prized by collectors, and the skeletons unearthed excite the 
curiosity of a few, but the ashes themselves have been regarded 
as of no consequence. And yet the} r tell a story as interesting and 
as old as that of all low lying mounds. The earliest rock shelters 
were formed soon after the close of the Glacial period, but the 
oldest have disappeared, for the overhanging strata break off from 
time to time and roll down into the valleys. This seems to occur 
oftenest in shelters with a northern or western exposure, while 
those with a southern exposure last longer. Nearly all the rock 
shelters in the county have had their inhabitants. Their first oc- 
cupants must have been the primeval men, w T ho had not learned to 
kindle a fire. They w r ere followed in turn by men who knew the use 
of fire, but had not learned to build houses. The Mound Builders 
succeeded these, who in turn were succeeded by the Indians. The 
favorite shelter with all of them seems to have been the slight one 
at the Tea Rocks, selected on account of its proximity to the salt 
pans at the riffle in Salt Creek. The bluff at this place rose only to 
the height of about forty feet, and the overhanging shelf was rela- 
tively slight, but it had a southern exposure, which compensated 
for several feet of shelf. The ash heap at this point is the largest 
in the county. It is over one hundred feet long, and was fully eight 
feet deep in one place. It slopes down to the creek, which at one 
time flowed toward the bluff in a sweep from the opposite side of 
the valley. Hundreds of tons of ashes have been hauled away as 
fertilizer, and scattered on lawns, gardens and fields, but thousands- 



-30 History of Jackson County. 

of tons, perhaps, lie yet where they have lain for centuries. The 
.skeletons discovered in March and April, 1900, were found here. 
A great number of flint and bone implements have been found in 
it. Muscle shells are numerous and tons of bone fragments are 
mingled with its ashes. All the bones have been split for the mar- 
row. The animals represented are the buffalo, bear, deer, elk, fox, 
raccoon, ground hog, oppossum, beaver, wild turkey and others, 
which roved or lived in the neighborhood of the licks. Hundreds 
of potsherds may be found. One specimen in my possession was a 
part of a pot which had a rim diameter of five inches. It was reg- 
ularly formed and the outside bears the impression of a fabric. The 
greater part of the heap has not yet been examined. It is useless 
to conjecture how long the shelter was occupied, but the quantity 
of ashes indicates that the first man kindled a fire in it long before 
Columbus discovered America. The men who built the mounds in 
Jamestown may have occupied it. Arrowheads were found in the 
lower part of the heap that may have been fashioned by a man 
who lived two or three thousand years ago. The pottery broken 
liere may have been brought carefully from the gulf coast, for the 
fabric marks on some fragments are almost identical with those 
on specimens which I picked up on an old Indian village site on 
the banks of the Noxubee river in Mississippi. The Mound Builders 
remained long enough in Jackson county to dot its hills and valleys 
with earthworks and to leave scattered on its surface tons of flint 
or stone implements, and must have occupied this shelter. Their 
fate is a mystery. The claim has been advanced that they were 
the ancestors of the Indians, while others claim that the Indians 
•drove them out of the country. Some Indians built mounds and it 
is known also that the Indians dearly loved the hills surrounding 
the Scioto licks, where the Mound Builders had once been so nu- 
merous. The salt springs attracted all manner of game, and they 
•came here to hunt, while the squaws made salt. 

THE SALT PANS — Jams L. Swyers is now engaged in blast- 
ing the sand stone in the riffle near Old Camp Diamond. The blast- 
ing has removed the last vestiges of the old Indian salt pans. There 
were quite a number of them in the sand rock in the bed of the 



History of Jackson County. 31 

creek, where it flowed across the valley to the Tea Rocks, but when 
a ditch was cut through the neck, shortening the loop, the majority 
of them were covered up. Three remained until a few years ago, 
but Swyers blasted out the last one in 1899. The Indians were too 
lazy to dig wells for salt water, preferring to wait until the Fall of 
the year, when the water would be lowest in the creek, and corre- 
spondingly saltier. 

THE SHAWANESE— There is no record of the coming of the 
Indians, but it is known that the Shawanese owned and occupied 
Jackson county when it was discovered by the whites. It appears, 
however, that all the Ohio tribes were allowed to visit the salt 
springs and to make salt. Situated as they were on the great In- 
dian trail from the mouth of the Kanawha to the head of the 
Maumee, they were visited by hundreds, and sometimes, thousands 
of Indians, during the summer months. These gatherings resem- 
bled the Russian markets of the last century. Many of the visit- 
ing Indians bought their salt, giving in exchange flint implements, 
tobacco, beads, pipestone and other articles of aboriginal com- 
merce. It is told that tribes at war with each other would observe 
a truce during these visits. The squaws performed all the work, 
chopping the saplings for fuel, drawing the water and watching 
the fires day and night, while the men spent their time hunting, 
fishing, playing ball, gaming and telling yarns. In later years, they 
tortured white captives in the presence of the assembled tribes. 
Even after the whites had taken possession of the licks, the Indians 
used to revisit them every summer until about 1815. These bands 
came ostensibly for salt, but it is claimed that they knew of a lead 
deposit in the county, to which they resorted secretly for many 
years. 

THE HISTORIC PERIOD— John Cabot, a native of Venice, 
but a subject of England, being ambitious to rival Columbus, ap- 
plied to the English monarch for a commission. The throne was 
then occupied by Henry VII, the grandson of a Welshman. He 
listened to Cabot's plans with interest and granted his request 
March 5, 1496. The commission authorized Cabot, or any of his 



32 History of Jackson County. 

three sons, to sail into the eastern, northern or western seas, with, 
a fleet of five ships, to search for islands or regions inhabited by 
infidels, and hitherto unknown to Christendom; to take possession 
in the name of the king of England, and as his vassals, to con- 
quer, possess and occupy; enjoying for themselves, their heirs and 
assigns forever the sole right of trading thither; paying to the king,, 
in lieu of all customs and imposts, a fifth of all net profits. Cabot 
acted promptly and sailed away into the unknown region, where 
Madoc had disappeared three centuries before. He reached the 
end of his voyage sooner than had beenexpected,for he sighted land 
June 24, 1897, abounding according to his account with white bears 
and deer of unusual size and inhabited by savage men, clothed in 
skins and armed with bows, spears and clubs. Thus was discov- 
ered the continent of North America. 

ANNEXED TO VIRGINIA— One hundred and ten years 
rolled away before the English effected a permanent settlement 
upon this continent. This was accomplished by the London Com* 
pany, which was chartered by James I, April 10, 1606, and granted 
a strip of the American coast lying between the thirty-fourth and 
forty-first parallels north latitude, and extending one hundred miles 
inland. Its first colony was established on the James river, May 13, 
1607, and named Jamestown. The company met with many reverses,, 
and on May 23, 1609, it was reorganized and rechartered. The new 
charter defined the boundaries of Virginia as embracing a terri- 
tory two hundred miles north and south from Old Point Comfort,, 
and reaching up into the land from sea to sea. This grant included 
the Scioto salt licks, and was the first historical act that concerned 
them. 

CAPTAIN BATTS' EXPEDITION— The story of Virginia's 
dominion in the Ohio Valley during the next century and a half is 
soon told. All there is of it, are the meager details of an expedition 
that failed. Rufus King's account is as follows: Captain Thomas 
Batts, with a party of English and Indians, was sent by Governor 
Berkeley in September, 1671, "to explore and find out the ebbing 
and flowing of the water behind the mountains, in order to the 
discovery of the South Sea." After a march of thirteen days from 



History of Jackson County. 33 



"Apponiatok," through the forests and over steep mountains, they 
came down upon waters running west of northwest, through pleas 
ant hills and rich meadows. They encountered a river "like the 
Thames at Chelsea," and following its course, came, on the six- 
teenth day, to "a fall that made a great noise," probably the falls 
of Kanawha. Here the journey ended, the Indians refusing to go 
further, under the pretense that they could catch no game on ac- 
count of the dryness of the ground and the sticks; but really from 
dread of the tribes down that river, from whom, as they reported, 
travelers never returned. In the country below, they also reported, 
there was a great abundance of salt.— This is the earliest historical 
allusion to the salt licks of the Ohio Valley, and, inasmuch as one 
of the most noted Indian trails ran from the mouth of the Kanawha 
to the northwest, by way of the Scioto licks, it is possible that they 
may have been referred to. 

LA SALLE— There is something in a name after all. Captain 
Batts, true to his name, was blind to his opportunity and missed 
immortality by not pushing on and discovering the Ohio river. It 
is true that La Salle is said to have discovered the beautiful river 
a year before Captain Batts' expedition set out, but the news had 
not reached Europe, and even to this day the fact has not been 
clearly established. Robert Cavalier was born in 1643 on the La 
Salle estate near Rouen in France. He came to Montreal in 1666, 
and entered soon afterward upon his career as explorer. Parkman 
believes that he discovered the Ohio river in the early months of 
1670, and descended it as far as the rapids at Louisville. At any 
rate, the French laid claim to the Ohio Valley, and annexed it to 
Louisiana in 1713. 

FIRST WHITE VISITORS— The name of the first white man 
to visit the Scioto licks will never be known, but there is every 
reason for believing that he was a. Frenchman, of that class known 
as Bushrangers, whom King describes as follows: They were a mix- 
ture of the smuggler and trapper, deemed outlaws because they 
would not purchase licenses under the rigid monopoly in the fur 
trade as farmed out in Canada. In this way, thousands of French- 



34 History of Jackson County. 



men disappeared, who had been sent over to the colony al much 
expense; the king and his ministers constantly complaining of the 
loss of their subjects. Far ou1 in the forests of the west, safe rrom 
the king's reach, they were living with the savages, marrying and 
hunting, fiddling, drinking and smoking, in entire independence. 

Of SUCh were many of the earliest settlers of Ohio. Living (has, 
the\ must have accompanied some bands of Indians, sooner or later, 

on a salt-making expedition to these licks, it is probable that 
many such visitors had learned of their existence before L725, Cor 
the licensed Pur traders of Canada, began to visit the Southern Ohio 

country about that I ime. 

FIRST ENGLISH VISITORS A state of war existed at all 
times between the French and English borderers. The French 

found willing allies in the Indians, for the two races understood 
each other better and mingled more readily. Nearly all the French 
Bushrangers had Indian wi\os, and in time their half breed pro- 
geny became numerous in the Ohio country. The latter class 

hated the English with the combined hatred of Frenchman and 

Indian, and they spared no etl'ort to stir up their savage kindred 
against the English borderers of Pennsylvania and Virginia. As 
early as i7.">r> they began to make raids into the Alleghenies to 
destroy isolated and outlying settlements. The border warfare 

thus instituted was conducted with the greatest ferocity a,nd 
cruelly, and lasted sixty years. During that period no English 
Settler in the mountains tell himself safe for a day from an attack 
by the Indians. They went armed al all times, whether al work, 
or on pleasure bent. When they left their homes in the morning 
they were never sure that they would live to come back, or thai 
the cabin, which held all that was dear to them, would be standing 
when they came. From L735 to 17!). r >, the Indians went on these 
manhunt ing excursions just as regularly as Ohio men now go into 

the mountains of Virginia after game. As a rule they killed every 
person, man, woman or child; but there were times when a brave 
chose a handsome lad for adoption, or a half-breed saved an attrac- 
tive girl or woman for a wife, or some courageous man was 
spared, that the Indians might have the pleasure and gratification 



Ilr.ioi.y «,i I m i: ,<.n County. 35 



of torturing him at the stake. AH the expeditions up the Kanawha 
returned by way of the Bcioto licks, and il is probable thai the ftrsl 
English visitors to them, belonged to one or the other of the 
classes of captives mentioned. The Indians told the early salt 
boilers thai il was the custom to burn while prisoners al the stake 
during the Indian gatherings al the licks in the summer and fall, 
and thai the stake stood <»n the poinl overlooking the Orossin 
Buljjhur spring, near the site of * 1 » < - town well. Scores of English 
Captives were tortured a I I his poinl between (1m* yearH 17:55 
and L794. 

DE CELOBON'S EXPEDITION Notwithstanding the alli- 
ance be1 ween the French and Indians, daring English traders 
«miI< 'icd the Ohio country during the flrsl quarter of the Eighteen! b 
century, and by I7::i they had penetrated :is far as the Wabash. 
During the nexl L5 years English traders came in such numbers 
thai the French became alarmed and sent to Canada for a force 
to drive ou1 the invaders. The government acted promptly and 
sent out ;ni expedition of 250 French and Indians, under the com- 
mand of De Oeloron. They hfi Montreal June in, 17I!>, moved <m 
by way of Lakes Krie and Chautauqua., down the Allegheny and 
the Ohio, as far as the Big Miami, and hark to the Maumee. They 
reached the mouth of the i»i^ r Miami August •'»<), l Til*. De Celeron 
everywhere proclaimed the dominion of France and drove out the 
English traders. The French were now supreme in the valley, and 
although Gist, an Englishman, succeeded in Btirring up some 
trouble in i7no, their traders had ;i monopoly of the trade until 
17G2. During thai period they visited the licks regularly. 

APPEABANCE OF THE LICKS The earliest description of 

an Ohio lick is io be found in the narrative of Colonel James 
Smith, published in 171><>. Smith was captured by the Indians 
Just before the battle in which Braddock mel his defeal and death, 
and was broughl to Ohio and adopted by his captors, in August 
of the same year he accompanied (hem on a sail making expedi- 
tion to the "Buffalo lack." as he calls it, Which he describes an 

follows: "We (hen moved to the Buffalo lick, where we killed 



36 History of Jackson County. 

several buffaloes, and in their small brass kettles they made about 
half a bushel of salt. I suppose this lick was about thirty or- 
forty miles from the aforesaid town, and somewhere between the 
Muskingum, Ohio and Scioto. About the lick were clear, open 
woods, and thin white oak land, and at that time there were large 
roads leading to the lick, like wagon roads." The town referred to 
by Smith was on the upper Muskingum, more than 40 miles away 
from the Scioto licks, but his language is rather indefinite, and 
the visit may have been made to these very licks. If this theory 
be accepted, Smith's visit is the first recorded in their history. 

THE FIRST MAP— As already indicated, the Indians did not 
murder all their captives, and a certain proportion of those spared 
escaped from time to time and returned to their homes in Virginia. 
It was through the latter that the English learned definitely of 
the existence of the Scioto licks. A fairly accurate knowledge of 
their location was known in Virginia as early as 1755. Lewis 
Evans, the Welsh geographer, was born in 1700. Adopting a sur^ 
veyor's career, he came out to the colonies, and he is entitled to 
the honor of having published the first satisfactory map of the 
English possessions in America. The first edition appeared in 
1749. A second edition, more complete and including Virginia 
and the Ohio valley, was published in 1755, and the Scioto salt 
licks are marked upon it. Unfortunately for the cause of science, 
Evans died in June, 1756, but his fame is secure. 

THE HALTERMAN BOYS— Three young boys, the sons of 
Christopher Halterman of Virginia, were brought to the licks in 
1759 as captives of the Shawanese. This tribe, who roamed over 
the hills of Southern Ohio, and cultivated corn and tobacco patches 
in its fertile valleys, were the most daring of the Ohio Indians, 
and their war parties were constantly hovering on the borders of 
the English settlements. Among the pioneers was one Christopher 
Halterman, who, with his family, crossed the mountains and settled 
on the headwaters of one of the tributaries of the Ohio. He built a 
cabin and cleared an acre or two of rich bottom, and all seemed 
favorable, when he sickened suddenly and died. The widow was 



History of Jackson County. 37 

a heroine, and instead of abandoning the claim and clearing, 
as many would have done, she determined to remain in the wilder- 
ness. Her oldest sons were already able to help her, and they 
might have prospered. Remote from all Indian trails, they had 
never seen a native of the forest, and lived in security. But the 
end came unexpectedly. A band of Shawanese passed through 
the region in the fall of 1759, and one of their scouts discovered 
the smoke from the widow's cabin. Creeping stealthily forward 
while the family was at breakfast, the Indians entered the cabin 
before their presence was discovered. Their yells over the easy 
victory did not daunt the mother, and she seized an ax to defend 
herself and children, but before she could deliver a blow an Indian 
sank a tomahawk in her head. Three little girls were killed in a 
like manner. The baby was picked up by the feet, and its head 
dashed against the wall of the cabin. Three likely lads remained. 
Their sturdy defense with their fists amused the Indians and they 
spared them. After scalping the dead and looting the cabin they 
kindled a fire on the floor and left the neighborhood at once. 
Setting out for the Ohio, they were joined by a number of other 
bands, who were engaged likewise. In a few days all arrived at 
the Scioto licks, where they remained for a few weeks. It was now 
October, and they set out for old Chillicothe, where the three 
Halterman boys, Christopher, Jacob and Gabriel, were adopted 
into the Shawanese tribe. The adoption ceremony was very im- 
pressive. The best description of it in existence is that written by 
Colonel James Smith, who was adopted by the Indians four years 
before the Halterman brothers. His narrative is as follows: "A 
number of Indians collected about me, and one of them began to 
pull the hair out of my head. He had some ashes on a piece or 
bark, in which he frequently dipped his fingers in order to take 
the firmer hold, and so he went on, as if he had been plucking 
a turkey, until he had all the hair clean out of my head, except a 
small spot about three or four inches square on my crown. This 
they cut off with a pair of scissors, excepting three locks, which 
they dressed up in their own mode. Two of these they wrapped 
round with a narrow beaded garter, made by themselves for that 
purpose, and the other they plaited at full length, and then stuck 



38 History of Jackson County. 

it full of silver brooches. After this they bored my nose and 
earSj and fixed me off with earrings and nose jewels; then they 
ordered me to strip off my clothes and put on a breechclout, which 
I did. They then painted my head, face and body in various 
colors. They put a large belt of wampum on my neck, and silver 
bands on my hands and right arm; and so an old chief led me out 
in the street, and gave the alarm halloo, "coowigh,' 7 several times,, 
repeated quick; and on this all that were in the town came running 
and stood round the old chief, Avho held me by the hand in the 
midst. As I at that time knew nothing of their mode of adoption, 
and had seen them put to death all they had taken, and as I never 
could find that they saved a man alive at Braddock's defeat, I 
made no doubt but they were about putting me to death in some 
cruel manner. The old chief, holding me by the hand, made a long 
speech, very loud, and when he had done, he handed me to three 
young squaws, who led me by the hand down the bank into the 
river, until the water was up to our middle. The squaws then 
made signs for me to plunge myself into the water, but I did not 
understand them. I thought that the result of the council was 
that I should be drowned, and that these young ladies were to be 
the executioners. They all three laid violent hold of me, and I for 
some time opposed them with all my might, which occasioned loud 
laughter by the multitude that were on the bank of the river. At 
length one of the squaws made out to speak a little English (for- 
I believe they began to be afraid of me), and said 'No hurt you/ 
On this I gave myself up to their ladyships, who were as good as 
their word, for though they plunged me under water, and washed 
and rubbed me severely, yet I could not say they hurt me much. 
These young women then led me up to the council house, where 
some of the tribe were ready with new clothes for me. They gave 
me a new ruffled shirt, which I put on, also a pair of leggins done 
off with ribbons and beads, likewise a pair of moccasins and gar- 
ters dressed with beads, porcupine quills and red hair; also a tinsel 
laced cappo. They again painted my head and face with various 
colors, and tied a bunch of red feathers to one of those locks they 
had left on the crown of my head, which stood up five or six inches. 
They seated me on a bearskin and gave me a pipe, tomahawk, and 



History of Jackson County. 39 

polecat skin pouch, which had been skinned pocket fashion, and 
contained tobacco, killegenico, or dry sumach leaves, which they 
mix with their tobacco; also spunk, flint and steel. When I was 
thus seated the Indians came in, dressed and painted in their 
grandest manner. As they came in they took their seats, and for 
a considerable time there was a profound silence; everyone was 
smoking, but not a word was spoken among them. At length one 
of the chiefs made a speech, which was delivered to me by an 
interpreter, and was as follows: 'My son, you are now flesh of our 
flesh, and bone of our bone. By the ceremony which was per- 
formed this day, every drop of white blood was washed out of 
your veins. You are taken into the Caughnewago nation, and 
initiated into a warlike tribe; you are adopted into a great family, 
and now received with great seriousness and solemnity in the room 
and place of a great man. After what has passed this day you 
are now one of us by an old strong law and custom. My son, you 
have now nothing to fear; we are now under the same obligation 
to love, support and defend you, that we are to love and to defend 
one another; therefore you are to consider yourself as one of our 
peogle.' " 

After the ceremony, each of the boys was introduced to his 
new kin and feasted by them. Gabriel, the youngest, did not fare 
well, and died the first winter. Christopher and Jacob were older 
and better able to withstand the privations of life with the Indians. 
They were not entirely without the companionship of whites, for 
more than a hundred prisoners were in the hands of the Shawanese 
at that time. It is probable that the majority of these prisoners 
were taken to the licks to make salt every summer, as Daniel 
Boone was later. The Halterman boys remained with the Indians 
until they were surrendered to Colonel Bouquet and his army at 
the forks of the Muskingum November 9, 1764, with 204 other 
white prisoners. The scene at this surrender was indescribable. 
According to one writer, many of the prisoners were old enough to 
remember their kindred, and they were only too glad to exchange 
the wilderness for civilization. But there were a few, especially 
women, who had been captured so young, and had lived so long 
with the Indians, that they were loath to leave, and were removed 



40 History of Jackson County. 

only by force. Some women, parted from their Indian husbands 
and children, escaped from the army and returned into the wilder 
ness. The Haltermans remembered the murder of their mother 
only too well, and they were delighted to return to the whites. 
Christopher was now a young man, and had become an Indian 
hater. He became conspicuous in later life as an Indian fighter. 
He has descendants living in this county, one of whom is his 
grandson, Gabriel Evans, named after the little lad that died in 
captivity. 

END OF FRENCH DOMINION— France set up its claim to 
the Ohio valley in 1G70, by right of discovery and first occupation. 
It was annexed to Louisiana in 1713, and ruled from New Orleans. 
De Celoron's expedition in 1749 was intended to establish the 
claims of France beyond dispute, but, instead, and most fortunately 
for us, it led to the French and Indian war, by which France lost 
all her possessions on this continent. The cession was made by 
the treaty of Fontainebleau, in 1762, and the Ohio valley passed 
into the undisputed possession of the English. 

ANNEXED TO QUEBEC— Colonel Bouquet's expedition in 
1764 brought the Ohio valley to the attention of Parliament, and, 
according to some writers, an act was passed in 1766 making the 
Ohio river the southwestern boundary of Canada, and placing the 
region north and northwest of it under the local administration 
of the Province of Quebec. Later writers claim that this act was 
not passed until 1774, and King refers to it as follows: "Another 
event had occurred earlier in the year (1774), unknown to Lord 
Dunmore, which totally changed the political status and relations 
of the country, which he had been invading. Parliament on June 
22 had passed an act, 'making more effectual provision for the 
government of the Province of Quebec,' hence known as the Que- 
bec Act. By this, the whole country bounded by the Ohio, the 
Mississippi and the lakes, west of the west line of Pennsylvania, 
was annexed and made a part of that province. The declared 
object of this measure was to extend the boundaries and govern- 
ment of Quebec, so as to secure and satisfy the French inhabitants 



History of Jackson County. 41 

at Kaskaskias, the Wabash and Detroit. The Quebec act extended 
to all inhabitants of the province the free exercise and enjoyment 
of the religion of the Church of Rome, subject, nevertheless, to the 
king's supremacy. The clergy of that church were to have their 
accustomed dues and rights with respect to such persons only as 
professed that religion; provision being reserved also for the main- 
tenance of the Protestant clergy, as the king should deem expedi- 
ent and necessary. This act was denounced in and out of Parlia- 
ment, as arbitrary and dangerous, and yet, though debated by the 
most eminent men in both houses, was suffered to pass by the 
insignificant vote of fifty-six against seven in the House of Lords. 
One of these seven was Lord Chatham, who assailed it as "a child 
of inordinate power." The Continental Congress also viewed it in 
that light; not quite the spirit of tolerance which might have been 
expected of the Sons of Liberty, animated in some degree perhaps 
with the temper of sour grapes. This new government, like that 
which was temporarily imposed by the Ordinance of 1787, was 
well adapted to an immense country with no population. Such 
an unexampled concession of religious liberty placed Par- 
liament at an advantage. Ohio was now transferred back to its 
old connection with Canada, and so remained until the treaty of 
independence." This act was passed, no doubt, to divide the French 
and English colonies in the struggle with England, then about to 
begin. It succeeded admirably, if that was its purpose. But it 
also laid down a precedent that had much more to do with shaping 
the Ordinance of 1787 than our historians are willing to admit. 

BOTETOURT COUNTY— The Quebec act was passed without 
any regard to the claims of Virginia based upon the Charter of 
1609, notwithstanding the fact that that colony had reasserted its 
claims in 17C9, when its House of Burgesses erected the County of 
Botetourt, to include all the western part of Virginia as far as 
the Mississippi river, a territory embracing the Scioto licks. The 
new county was given that name in honor of Norborne Berkeley, 
Lord of Botetourt, who was then governor of the colony. His 
term began in 1768, and he at once became very popular, because 
of his action in siding with the colonies against the mother coun- 



42 History of Jackson County. 

try. But before he had accomplished much for the colony he 
sickened and died in October, 1770. He was succeeded by John 
Murray, Earl of Dunmore, who was not so popular. 

LORD DUNMORE'S WAR— The successful issue of Colonel 
Bouquet's expedition caused a partial lull in the border warfare 
with the Indians, and for ten years there was a period of compara- 
tive j>eace. But in 1774 hostilities were renewed on a most bloody 
scale, both whites and Indians being guilty of the blackest treach- 
ery. Among the slain in the spring of that year was the family 
of Logan, the famous chief, and up to that time a friend of the 
whites. This was the inception of what is known as Lord Dun- 
more's War. The Virginia governor began his preparations to 
penetrate into the heart of the Indian county before the passage of 
the Quebec act, but there are reasons for believing that he knew 
of the intentions of the Home government, and that the Indian 
raids furnished a pretext for entering the Ohio valley to negotiate 
with the savages, in furtherance of the plan of Parliament to set 
Canada and her Indian allies against the Thirteen Colonies. At 
any rate Dunmore's operations northwest of the Ohio directly con- 
cern the history of the Scioto licks. 

BATTLE OF POINT PLEASANT— The great event of this 
war was the battle of Point Pleasant, in which the ancestors of 
many of the present inhabitants of Jackson county participated. 
It appears that the Virginia troops entered the Indian country in 
two columns, a plan of operations inviting defeat. Very singu- 
larly, the fighting fell to the lot of the pioneers, led by General 
Lewis. This and other incidents of the war place Governor Dun- 
more in an unpleasant light. The story of the battle and the 
operations leading up to it is graphically told by Atwater, as fol- 
lows: "General Andrew Lewis was ordered to raise a military force 
and rendezvous at Fort Union, now in Greenbrier county, and from 
thence descend the Great Kanawha to its mouth on the Ohio river. 
The Earl of Dunmore intended to raise troops in Lower Virginia, 
and marching up the Potomac to Cumberland, in Maryland, cross 
the Alleghanies, until he struck the Monongahela, thence follow- 



History of Jacksom County. 43- 



ing the stream downwards, reach Pittsburg, and from Fort Pitt to 
descend the Ohio to Point Pleasant (as we now call it), and form 
a junction with Lewis. This was the original plan of operations, 
and in accordance with it, General Lewis raised troops in Bote- 
tourt and Augusta counties, on the high grounds, near the head- 
waters of the Shenandoah, James river and the Great Kanawha. 
These counties were then on the very frontiers of the colonial 
government of Virginia, in which so many celebrated springs exist, 
such as the White Sulphur, the Warm, the Sweet Spring, etc., and 
in a country, too, then occupied by sharpshooters, hunters and 
riflemen. Collecting from all parts of this country two regiments 
of volunteers at Camp Union, now in Greenbrier county, General 
Lewis, on the 11th day of September, 1774, marched forward 
towards the point of his destination. His route lay wholly through 
a trackless forest, a distance of one hundred and sixty miles. This 
march was more painful and difficult than Hannibal's over the 
Alps. On the first day of October, 1774, Lewis reached the place 
of his destination, but no Earl Dunmore was there. Dispatching 
two messengers in quest of Governor Dunmore, Lewis and his 
Virginians continued at Point Pleasant. On the 9th of October 
three messengers from the Earl arrived at Lewis' camp and 
informed him that the Governor had changed his whole plan — 
that the Earl would not meet Lewis at Point Pleasant, but would 
descend the Ohio to the mouth of the Hockhocking river, ascend 
that to the Falls, and then strike off to the Pickaw r ay towns, along 
the Scioto, whither Dunmore ordered Lewis to repair and meet 
him as soon as possible, there to end this campaign. On the 10th 
of October two of Lewis' soldiers were up the Ohio river hunting 
some two miles above the army, when a large party of Indians 
attacked them. One hunter soldier w r as instantly killed, but the 
other fled and safely arrived in the camp and gave notice of the 
near approach of the enemy. General Lewis instantly gave orders 
for two detachments to meet and repel the enemy. Colonel Charles 
Lewis commanded the detachment of Botetourt militia and Col- 
onel Fleming commanded the other detachment of Augusta militia. 
Rushing out of their camp, they met the enemy about four hundred 
yards from it. The enemy instantly fired upon our men a whole 



44 History of Jackson County. 

volley of rifles, and furiously commenced the battle. At the first 
onset our men faltered a moment and began to retreat, but the 
reserve came up from the camp, and the enemy in turn gave wav 
apparently, but in doing so extended his line of battle from the 
Ohio to the Kenawha, and by that means completely hemmed in 
our men in the angle formed by the junction of these rivers. 
There the enemy posted his warriors behind old logs, trees and 
driftwood and fought with desperation and without cessation 
from the rising of the sun, when the battle commenced, until the 
sun sank below the horizon, when the enemy drew off his forces 
and retired from the field of battle. In this desperate action we 
lost two colonels, viz: Charles Lewis, of the Botetourt volunteers, 
who was mortally wounded in the first fire of the enemy. He was 
enabled to just reach his tent, where he immediately expired. And 
Colonel Fields was also killed in battle. We lost in killed five 
captains, viz: Buford, Murray, Ward, Wilson and McClenehan; 
three lieutenants, Allen, Goldsby and Dillon and many subalterns, 
besides seventy-five private soldiers, who were killed in this hardly 
fought battle. The wounded amounted to one hundred and forty 
officers and soldiers, many of them severely, who afterwards died 
of their wounds. The loss of the enemy was never certainly 
known, but thirty-three of their dead bodies were found on or near 
the battleground, and it was not doubted that the enemy had 
thrown many of his dead into the rivers, on both of which his 
warriors were posted, as we have seen. From the character of our 
troops, being all sharpshooters and backwoodsmen, it is probable 
that the loss in killed and wounded was about equal on both sides. 
The numbers of the armies were probably about the same, judging 
from their extended line of battle and the constant firing all day 
along that line from river to river. The next day after the battle 
Lewis fortified his encampment (he should have done so before the 
action, as soon as he arrived there) with logs on the outside of it, 
and by digging an entrenchment." 

GENERAL LEWIS AT THE LICKS— The borderers buried 
their dead, left their wounded in charge of a strong guard and set 
out to join Lord Dunmore. According to the best authorities, their 



History of Jackson County. 45 

line of march was by way of the Scioto licks. The author of "In 
Colonial Days" says: General Lewis fought the battle of Point 
Pleasant Oct. 10, 1774, compelling the Indians to retreat, and then, 
contrary to Lord Dunmore's order, to make a halt at Salt Licks, 
pressed on to Chillicothe, where he joined his superior officer." 
They remained at the licks one night, but their desire to avenge 
their fallen comrades led them to ignore the positive orders of 
Dunmore, and they pushed on toward the Indian towns. Their 
action angered Dunmore greatly, and he weut out to meet them 
and ordered them back to Point Pleasant. Lewis obeyed the order* 
and he and his men returned home. The majority of them partici- 
pated in the Revolution, but they never forgot that game preserve 
in the neighborhood of the licks, and in later years many of them 
returned to Ohio and settled in this county. So many of the 
Greenbrier folk came, that their settlement near the licks was 
given that name. 

A BAND OF HUNTERS— There is a tradition that a band of 
twenty Virginians, most of whom had been with Lewis, came on 
a hunting expedition to the licks a year or two later. They were 
very successful, and were on the point of starting home, when 
they were attacked by Indians and all killed with the exception 
of two men, who had deserted their companions at the first fire- 
and fled. The latter returned home, but they were killed in the 
Revolution, and even their names have been lost. 

BOONE'S VISIT— The most distinguished captive brought to 
the licks by the Indians was Daniel Boone. This occurred during 
his second captivity. Boone and some thirty companions went to 
the Blue Licks in Kentucky in the winter of 1777-78 for the pur- 
pose of making salt, and while there, they were captured by the 
Indians and brought to Ohio. They were taken first to the Shaw- 
anese village on the Miami, where they were kept for several 
weeks. Later Boone and ten companions were taken to Detroit, 
where all but Boone were surrendered to the English. The In- 
dians refused to deliver or sell him, and after a short stay brought 
him to Old Chillicothe, in the Scioto valley. Here he was formally 



46 History of Jackson Counuy. 

adopted into the Indian tribe, the ceremony, according to the 
description of Peck, being virtually the same as in the case 
•of James Smith. Ellis tells the story of Boone's escape as follows: 
"In the month of June, 1778, a company of Shawanese went to the 
Scioto Licks to make salt, taking Boone with them. He thought 
the chance promised to be a good one for getting away and he was 
•on the alert. But the Indians were equally so, and they kept him 
so busy over the kettles that he dared not make the attempt. 
Finally, having secured all they wished of salt, they started home- 
ward again, and, reaching Old Chillicothe, Boone's heart was filled 
with consternation at the sight of 450 warriors in their paint, fully 
armed and ready to march upon Boonesborough. This was a 
fornridable force, indeed, more than double that against which the 
garrison had ever been forced to defend themselves, and it seemed 
to the pioneer as if the settlement, his family and all friends were 
doomed to destruction. It was now or never with Boone. If his 
escape was to prove of any benefit to others than himself, it would 
not do to delay any longer. The settlers were unaware of their 
danger, and unless duly warned were likely to fall victims to 
Shawanese cunning and atrocity. Boone determined to leave 
within the succeeding twenty-four hours, no matter how desperate 
the chance. Before he closed his eyes in snatches of fitful slum- 
ber he had decided on the course to pursue. He rose early the next 
morning and started out for a short hunt, as he had frequently 
done, for such a strategem promised to give him more time for 
a chance of getting a good start of his pursuers. The pioneer was 
160 miles from Boonesborough, but he was scarcely out of sight 
of the Indians when he headed straight for the settlement, and 
ran like a man who realized it to be a case of life and death. He 
did not spare himself. He had concealed enough for one meal 
about his person before starting, and this was all he axe while 
making the long journey, occupying five days. He did not dare 
to stop long enough to shoot any game for fear his pursuers would 
be upon him. At the close of the fifth day, tired, hungry and worn, 
lie made his appearance in front of the Boonesborough stockade, 
and was admitted with amazement and delight by his friends, who 
believed he had been killed long before. So general, indeed, was 



History of Jackson County. 47 

this belief in his death that his wife and family had iuuved back 
to their home in North Carolina some time before." There is a 
local tradition around Jackson that Boone made his escape while 
at the licks. It is also told that he made a wonderful leap in mak- 
ing his escape, from one side of a ravine to the rocks on the other. 
These traditions have no foundation in fact. The name of Boone 
has been found carved in a rock near a spring in the northern part 
of Jackson county, but this was no doubt the work of some wag 
of early days. 

ILLINOIS COUNTY ORGANIZED— The year of Boone's 
escape saw the organization of a new county, which included the 
land surrounding the Scioto licks. The war with England was in 
progress, and some far-seeing member of the Virginia House ol 
Burgesses felt that the time had come for Virginia to reassert her 
«laim to the Ohio country. The simplest way of doing this was 
to carve a new county out of the western part of the old county of 
Botetourt, already mentioned. It was bounded on the north by 
the great lakes, on the east by Pennsylvania, on the south by the 
Ohio river, and on the west by the Mississippi river, and was named 
Illinois. John Todd was appointed its first lieutenant and civil 
commandant. He served until his death, which occurred at the 
battle of Blue Licks in 1782. This was a shrewd move on the part 
of Virginia, for, when the Revolution ended, England surrendered 
its claim to the Ohio valley, leaving Virginia in undisputed posses- 
sion of the greater part of it. 

JONATHAN ALDER — The wars and revolutions of the 
whites, however, great in results, affected the Indian inhabitants 
of Ohio but slightly at the time. They still roamed at will through 
its forests, hunted the buffalo, made salt at the Scioto licks, went 
on their regular manhunts into the mountains and brought back 
white captives. Among the latter was Jonathan Alder, who was 
captured in 1782, when a lad of nine years. He was out in the 
woods in company with an older brother, David, looking for a mare 
and colt that had strayed away, when the Indians surprised them, 
killed his brother and took him prisoner. The same band had 



48 History of Jackson County. 

captured other prisoners in the same neighborhood, among whom 
were a Mrs. Martin and her four-year-old daughter. The latter 
failed to keep up with her captors in their rapid march down to- 
the Ohio, and they killed and scalped her. Alder remained with 
the Indians until 1795, but it was ten years later before he returned 
to his kindred in Virginia. In after life he wrote an account of 
his sojourn among the Indians, in which may be found the fol- 
lowing reference to a visit to the- Scioto licks: It was now better 
than a year after I was taken prisoner, when the Indians started 
off to the Scioto salt springs, near Chillicothe, to make salt, and 
took me along with them. Here I got to see Mrs. Martin, who was 
taken prisoner at the same time I was, and this was the first time 
I had seen her since we were separated at the council house. When 
she saw me she came smiling, and asked if it was me. I told her 
it was. She asked me how I had been. I told her I had been very 
unwell, for I had the fever and ague for a long time. So she took 
me off to a log, and there we sat down, and she combed my head 
and asked me a great many questions about how I lived, and if I 
did not want to see my mother and little brothers. I told her 
that I should be glad to see them, but never expected to again. She 
then pulled out some pieces of her daughter's scalp that she said 
were some trimmings they had trimmed off the night after she 
was killed, and that she meant to keep them as long as she lived. 
She then talked and cried about her family, that was all destroyed 
and gone, except the remaining bits of her daughter's scalp. We 
stayed here a considerable time, and meanwhile took many a cry 
together, and when we parted again took our last and final fare- 
well; for I never saw her again. 

CEDED TO THE UNITED STATES— When the Articles of 
Confederation were referred to the several colonies in 1778, New 
Jersey, Delaware and Maryland refused to ratify on account of 
the territorial claims of Virginia and other colonies. The first two 
eventually concurred, but Maryland remained firm. The Virginia 
leaders, realizing that sacrifices had to be made to establish the 
Union, followed the example of representatives of other colonies, 
and proposed a cession to the general government of all its unoccu- 



History of Jackson County. 49 

pied territory. After long negotiations, the cession of Illinois was 
made March 1, 1784, and the territory of Jackson county passed 
under the dominion of the United States. By that time the region 
north and northwest of the Ohio had come to be regarded as a 
veritable paradise, and traders, trappers, hunters, hermits and 
squatters were quietly entering it by hundreds, notwithstanding 
the hostility of the Indians, and the necessity for establishing a 
government in the territory northwest of the Ohio became impera- 
tive. Accordingly, the famous Ordinance, whose provisions are 
known to all, was approved July 13, 1787. Events now began to 
crowd. The contract with the Ohio Company was formally signed 
October 27, 1787. The first settlers sent out by this company 
landed at the mouth of the Muskingum April 7, 1788, and estab- 
lished Marietta. The chief executive of the Northwest Territory, 
Governor Arthur St. Clair, arrived soon after, and the territorial 
government was installed July 17, 1788. The first law passed, "an 
act to establish and regulate the militia," was published at Mari- 
etta July 25, 1788. Another important event was the erection of 
the County of Washington, July 26, 1788, to include all the ter- 
ritory east of the Scioto and Cuyahoga rivers. It was while Jack- 
son county was included in Washington county that the first 
known settler took up his abode in it. 

WILLIAM HEWITT, THE HERMIT— In the fall of 1797 
the Postoffice Department established a new office in Jackson 
county, Ohio, and named it Hewit. Although established simply 
for the convenience of the inhabitants of the valley of Hewitt'* 
Fork, its name will serve as a fitting memorial of the gentle hermit 
who was the first permanent settler of the county, and was one of 
the earliest pioneers to make a home in the forest primeval of the 
Northwest Territory. 

The life story of William Hewitt, the hermit, leads like 
romance. Much has already been written about the last fourteen 
years of his life, which were spent in Pike county, and about the 
several resurrections of his bones, but the story of his youth in 
Virginia, his early love and its disappointment, his thirty-three 
years' hermitage among the hills of Jackson county, his varied ex- 



V 



SO History of Jackson County. 

periences with the fierce Shawanese, and his scout life during the 
War of 1812, is yet a mine of virgin ore, untouched by historian or 
novelist. 

He was born near Staunton, Virginia, in 1764, and the first 
twenty-two years of his life were spent in the Old Dominion. It 
was the life of a backwoods boy on the margin of the wilderness, 
full of hardships and perils from wild animals, and wilder men. 
But nature had amply equipped him for the struggle, and when he 
reached manhood's estate he was stalwart of frame, measuring 
six feet and two inches, and weighing nearly two hundred pounds. 

Shortly after reaching his majority he left his home and kin- 
dred and disappeared into the wilderness to the west. The time 
and cause of his departure are in dispute, and some of the writers 
that have discussed the subject have even tampered with his 
reputation. Colonel John McDonald's version is to the effect that 
he fled from home, red-handed; that, "returning one night from a 
journey, he had ocular proof of the infidelity of his wife, killed her 
paramour, and instantly fled to the woods.'' McDonald states 
that this account was related by Hewitt to his father, but the 
fact that Hewitt related an entirely different account to James 
Emmitt naturally throws suspicion on both. 

Eminitt states that "just after Hewitt had merged into man- 
hood his father died, and, as is customary to this day, a row 
occurred over the division of the old gentleman's property, which 
was quite considerable. Some of the children were disposed to 
exhibit swinishness, and tried to gobble the old man's estate, to 
the exclusion of the interests of less aggressive members of the 
family. The performances of this little knot of family banditti 
utterly disgusted Hewitt, and he disappeared." 

These conflicting versions prove that Hewitt's ready wit never 
failed him when the curious sought his secret. His disappoint- 
ment in love was too painful a subject to discuss with every crony, 
and, besides, few of the prosaic natured pioneers would have 
believed his romantic tale, although they readily accepted his 
stories of murder or covetousness. 

The truth is that Hewitt loved and lost. Another won for his 
bride the girl that had won his heart, and the world turned black 



History of Jackson County. 51 

to him. As sometimes happens to shy, gentle hearted, great 
hearted men, he could not endure his fate, and he fled from it. In 
Europe he would have entered a monastery, but living in colonial 
Virginia, he entered the forest, and left behind home, kindred, 
friends, love and all but life. Some writers claim that this hap- 
pened in 1790, but the most probable date is 1787. 

As already indicated, the Virginians who followed General 
Lewis into the hills of Southern Ohio in 1774 carried back glowing 
accounts of the wonderful game resort which they had discovered 
on one of the smaller branches of the Scioto, where they had 
seen herds of buffalo, deer, elk and smaller game in great numbers. 
Hither Hewitt pursued his course. Although tired of the world, 
he had no intention of throwing his life away, and he had come 
equipped with rifle, hunting knife and backwoodsman's ax. When 
he arrived in the neighborhood of Salt creek he found game, as 
had been described. But he found Indians also. They were 
engaged in salt boiling. This was not a misfortune, however, and 
he soon determined upon a course of action. Watching his oppor- 
tunity, he entered their circle, and they beheld in their power, a 
pale-faced giant, whose peaceful overtures soon disarmed all sus- 
picion. 

His melancholy mien, which was not assumed, his shyness, 
reserve and aimless wanderings, impressed the Indians, and ere 
long they came to regard him as partially demented. Such per- 
sons were considered by the Indians as under the direct protection 
of the Great Spirit, and Hewitt soon found himself as secure from 
hostile attack as if he had been inside a fortress. Permitted to 
wander at will, he began his hermit career of some forty-seven 
years, thirty-three years of which were spent in Jackson county, 
and fourteen years in Pike county. 

After flowing past the licks, Salt creek turns suddenly to the 
northward and flows through a gorge which it cut for itself dur- 
ing the last glacial period. Along this gorge, which is several 
miles in length, there are many cave shelters, and in one of them 
Hewitt made his first permanent home in Ohio. During the sum- 
mer months he would leave his cave for weeks at a time, tramping 
hither and thither, camping where night found him, hunting, fish- 



52 History of Jackson County. 

ing, trapping. With game abundant, the Indians always friendly, 
and life all serenity, Hewitt lived down his sorrow, but did not 
tire of his solitude. One is almost tempted to envy this hunter 
hermit, his return to a primeval existence. Clad in buckskin from 
head to foot, living on venison, fish and bear meat, pawpaws, wild 
plums and berries, drinking the delicious waters of the conglom- 
erate springs, and breathing the pure air of the hills, he needed 
nothing but love to make his life complete, and that he had lost. 

The first white salt boilers settled in Jackson county in 1795, 
and before the end of the century there was a large camp at the 
Scioto salt licks. Many of these salt boilers had been Kevolu- 
tionary soldiers, who had afterward become rovers, and nor a few 
of them were reckless. In short, this early mining camp much 
resembled the later camps in the mining regions of the wild west. 
The proximity of such neighbors did not please Hewitt, and he 
followed the departing game into the fastnesses of the hills. He 
established his camp on the headwaters of the creek which now 
bears his name, and built his house, half dugout, half cabin, on land 
now owned by Dan D. Davis of Jefferson township. Here he lived 
for about ten years. Scioto county, which was erected May 1, 1803, 
took in Hewitt's Fork valley. The coming of homesteaders into 
the rich bottom lands of the Ohio drove the squatters back into 
the hills, and Hewitt soon had neighbors more undesirable than 
the salt boilers, from whose presence he had fled. Many of these 
early squatters in the hills of Southern Ohio were noted for their 
thieving propensities, and this brought trouble to Hewitt. In 1808 
the sheriff of Scioto county determined to make a raid into Hewitt's 
Fork after some bold hog thieves. He arrested Hewitt and his 
nearest neighbor, one William Peterson, took them to Portsmouth 
and lodged them in jail. Peterson was identified and convicted, 
and punished at the stake with seventeen stripes. Hewitt declined 
to defend himself, but as no evidence against him was offered, the 
sheriff finally dismissed him with an apology. The hermit felt 
humiliated, and on returning to the hills he determined to abandon 
his camp, and moved to a cave shelter below the Scioto salt licks, 
where he spent twelve years. 

The War of 1812 was now at hand, and Hewitt deserted the 



History of Jackson County. 53 

paths of peace to serve his country as a soldier. His long life in 
the woods had prepared him for the duties of scout, and his aver- 
sion to carrying a gun in the ranks caused him to ask to be assigned 
to that work. During nearly two years of life as a scout he ren- 
dered valuable service. He had thrilling experiences and hair- 
breadth escapes too numerous to describe in this work. In July, 
1812, he joined the expedition of General Tupper into Northern 
Ohio. Tupper had raised about one thousand men in Gallia, Jack- 
son and Lawrence counties for six months' service, and Hewitt 
deserves much of the credit for the success of this campaign. On 
July 29, 1813, he joined Captain Jared Strong's company, as a 
private, and marched with it into the Indian country for, the relief 
of Fort Meigs, which was then besieged. During his career as 
scout he remembered the many kindnesses received at the hands 
of the Indians, and although he captured many of them single- 
handed, he never shed a drop of Indian blood, and for his treat- 
ment of them' the Indians called him the "mad" scout. 

Jackson county was organized March 1, 1816, and Hewitt cast 
the first vote of his life at the spring election held April 1, 1816. 
But he did not take kindly to the growth of the Salt Lick settle- 
ment, for that drove away the game on which he lived. He lin- 
gered on for a few years, but about 1820 he bade farewell to the 
licks, in whose proximity he had lived for a generation, and trampea 
down into the Scioto valley. Finding a suitable cave shelter at 
the base of Dividing Ridge, in Pike county, he pitched his camp. 
Enclosing the open front with a stone wall, he soon had a rock 
house, in which he spent the rest of his life. He had learned one 
bad habit with age, the love of liquor, and his visits to the towns 
became more frequent. One day, in 1S34, he went to Waverly, 
and while there was taken ill with pneumonia, which caused his 
death. 

And now begins a chapter in his history like those of the 
mummy kings of Egypt, or the bones of Columbus. His body was 
interred in the old Waverly graveyard, but it was not allowed to 
rest in peace. Dr. Willam Blackstone gave it an immediate resur- 
rection. After selecting a part of the skeleton for mounting, he 
buried the other bones in his lot. There they were found in 1852, 



54 History of Jackson County. 

by Edward Vester, a cellar digger. He carefully reinterred them 
in another part of the lot, and soon forgot all about them. 
But in 1883, thirty-one years later, they were disturbed again. 
Vester was engaged in digging a cellarway, and suddenly came 
upon them a second time. Emmitt had them gathered 
and shipped to Dr. T. Blackstone of Circleville, who owns the 
skeleton, and who has kindly furnished me the following descrip- 
ton of it: 

Circleville, O., Feb. 20th, 1897. 
Mr. D. W. Williams, Jackson, O.: 

Dear Sir — All the bones of Hewitt, the hermit, that I now have 
in my possession are the three bones of the right arm, humerus, 
radius, ulna, and the entire skull without the lower jaw. The 
skull has been sawed in two just above the brows. The bones sent 
me by Mr. Emmitt were crumbling when received from him, and 
continued to do so till they were in powder. The other bones that 
I now have are perfect, solid and well preserved. Five teeth and 
a piece of one remain in the upper jaw, none of them showing 
signs of decay. One has a large cavity, which has never been 
filled. The skull is of good size, of symmetrical shape, and is 
thicker and heavier than the average. It shows, with the teeth,, 
that it belonged to a strong man, past the prime of life. 

Yours respectfully, T. BLACKSTONE. 

Such is a brief outline of the life of William Hewitt, who took 
up his abode in the Northwest Territory in 1787, one year before 
the coming of the Marietta pioneers, who lived a hermit for forty- 
seven years, never shed blood, never willfully harmed man or 
beast, and yet did not find love in life, or rest in the grave. 

ESCAPE OF SAMUEL DAVIS— The last noted prisoner 
brought to the licks by the Indians was Samuel Davis, the spy 
employed by the Governor of Kentucky to watch, together with 
others, the movements of the Indians along the border. In the 
fall of 1792 the spies were discharged, and Davis and William 
Campbell went up Big Sandy on a winter's hunt. On 
their return, they slept oue night on a small island, where, before 



History of Jackson County. 55 



morning, they were found by Indians, who made them prisoners, 
and at once started for their towns in Ohio. After they had reached 
the Licks, they camped for the night, securing their prisoners in the 
following manner. They took a strong tug made from the raw hide 
of the buffalo or elk. This tug they tied tight around the prison- 
er's waist. Each end of the tug was fastened around an Indian's 
waist. Thus with the same tug fastened to two Indians, he could 
not turn to the one side or the other without drawing an Indian 
with him. Notwithstanding all their precautions, Davis finally es- 
caped. The story of his escape, as told by McDonald, is as follows: 

One morning, just before day began to appear, as Davis lay in 
his uncomfortable situation, he hunched one of the Indians to 
whom he was fastened, and requested to be untied. The Indian 
raised up his head and looked round, and found it was still dark, 
and no Indians up about the fiies. He gave Davis a severe dig with 
his fist, and bade him lie still. Davis' mind was now in a state of 
desperation. Fire and fagot, sleeping or awake were constantly 
floating before his mind's eye. This torturing suspense would chill 
his soul with horror. After some time a number of Indians rose 
up and made their fires. It was growing light, but not light enough 
to draw a bead. Davis again jogged one of the Indians to whom 
he was fastened, and said the tug hurt his middle, and again re- 
quested the Indian to untie him. The Indian raised up his head, 
and looked round, and saw it was getting light and a number of 
Indians about the fires. He untied him. Davis rose to his feet, 
and was determined, as soon as he could look around and see the 
most probable direction of making his escape, to make the attempt 
at all hazards. He screwed his courage to the sticking point. It 
was a most desperate undertaking. Should he fail to effect his 
escape, death, instant, cruel death, was his doom. He rose to 
his feet, stood a minute, between the two Indians, to whom he had 
been fastened, and took a quick glance at the Indians who were 
standing around him. In the evening the Indians had cut two 
forks, which were stuck into the ground; a pole was laid across 
these forks, and all their rifles were leaned against the pole. If he 
made his start back from the Indian camp, the rifles of the Indians^ 



56 History of Jackson County. 



who were standing round the fires, and who, he knew, would pursue 
him, would be before them, and as they started after him, they 
would have nothing to do, but pick up a rifle as they ran. On the 
contrary, if he made his plunge through the midst of them, they 
would have to run back for their guns, and by that time, as it was 
only twilight in the morning, he could be so far from them that 
their aim would be very uncertain. The success of his daring enter- 
prise depended on the swiftness of his heels. He knew his bottom 
was good. A large active Indian was standing between Davis and 
the fire. He drew back his fist and struck that Indian with all his 
force, and dropping him into the fire; and with the agility of a buck 
he sprang over his body and took to the woods with all the speed 
that was in his power. The Indians pursued, yelling and screaming 
like demous. But as Davis anticipated, not a gun was fired at him. 
Several Indians pursued him some distance, and for some time it 
was a doubtful race. The foremost Indian was so close to him that 
he sometimes fancied that he felt his clutch. However at length 
Davis began to gain ground upon his pursuers, the breaking and 
rustling of brush was still farther and farther off. He took up a 
long sloping ridge. When he reached the top, he for the first time 
looked back, and to his infinite pleasure saw no person in pursuit. 
After many privations for several days, he reached Manchester. 

WAYNE'S CAMPAIGN— The sixty years' war with the Ohio 
Indians ^as now drawing to a close. Congress had been awakened 
to a sense of the situation by the defeats of Harmar and St. Clair. 
General Anthony Wayne was sent across the mountains with an 
army like himself. His mission was to subdue the Indians and ex- 
tend the domain of the United States to the boundaries defined by 
the treaty with England. He took every step with care, fortified 
posts of advantage, advanced further and further into the Indian 
country, and on the morning of August 20, 1794, he found the 
Indian army and forced the fighting. By nightfall the victory of 
Fallen Timbers had been won, and the power of the Ohio Indians 
broken forever. Peace was secured and the border warfare was 
virtually over. 



History ok Jackson County. 57 



GREEN'S EXPEDITION— When the news of the victory 
reached the settlements an expedition was at once organized to go 
to, the Scioto Licks before winter set in. This expedition was the 
firs I of the kind that proved a success. Others had sought the 
licks, but as long as the Indians remained in possession none suc- 
ceeded in making salt and escaping with their lives. We are in- 
debted to Hildreth, the Ohio valley historian, for the following 
graphic account of the visit of Green's expedition to the licks: 

Among the other privations and trials of the early settlers in 
the Ohio company's lands, was the dearness and scarcity of marine 
salt. From 1788 to some years after the close of the war, their 
salt was all brought over the mountains on pack horses at an 
expense to the consumer of from six to ten dollars a bushel. The 
salt was of the coarse, Isle of May variety, of an excellent quality 
and measured instead of weighed as it now is. A bushel of this 
salt weighs about eighty pounds, while one of our present bushels 
weighs only fifty pounds. It was as late as the year 1806 when the 
change took place in the mode of vending this article, after salt 
was made in considerable quantities at the new salines on the Big 
Kanawha. 

Its great scarcity was a serious drawback on the prosperity of 
the country, and a source of annoyance to the people. The domestic 
animals suffered from its want, as well as man; and when ranging 
in the woods, visited the clay banks that some times contained 
saline particles, licking and gnawing them into large holes. The 
deerlicks so common at that day were seldom anything more than 
holes made in the clay by wild animals and filled with water, 
sometimes of a brackish quality. Nearly all the salines, since 
worked, were pointed out to man by the deer and the buffalo. This 
was the fact at Salt Creek and Kanawha. It was hoped that as 
the country was opened and cultivated, salt springs would be found 
sufficient for the wants of the inhabitants; but it was a dark and 
doubtful feature in the future prosperity of the country. 

In the autumn of the year 1794, Griffin Green, esq., whose fer- 
tile mind was always full of projects for the benefit of the country, 
had heard from the report of some white man, who had been a 



58 History of Jackson County. 

prisoner with the Indians, that while he was with them, they had 
made salt from a spring on a tributary branch of the Scioto river,, 
afterward known as Salt Creek. He described the spot as some- 
where near the present location of the town of Jackson, and 
although it was in the midst of the Indian war, and in the vicinity 
of their towns, so great was the anxiety to ascertain its truth that 
a company was formed to visit and search out the spring. 

Mr. Green associated with him in the enterprise Major Robert 
Bradford and Joel Oaks, he paying one-half the expense and his 
two partners the other. A large pirogue was provided with provis- 
ions for twelve men, for ten or twelve days, the period supposed 
necessary to accomplish the journey. They hired some of the most 
experienced woodsmen and hunters from Bellville as guides and 
guards. Among them were Peter Anderson, Joshua Dewey and 
John Coleman, all noted for their bravery and knowledge of the 
woods. 

They left Farmer's Castle in the fall of the year, at a time 
when the water in the Ohio was quite high; accompanied with the 
good wishes of their neighbors for their success, but damped with 
many fears and evil forebodings from the dangers that attended 
the enterprise. The Indians had for many years kept with jealous 
care the knowledge of the locality from the whites, viewing the 
spring as a valuable gift from the Great Spirit to the Red men, and 
with the game and fish, as perquisites to which the pale faces had 
no right. It was not known that any white man had ever been at 
the salines, except when visited by some prisoner in company with 
the Indians, and who even then did not let him actually see the 
spot, but only the salt made by them at the time of the visit. 

At the mouth of Leading creek the adventurers landed their 
boat, secreting it among the trees and bushes as well as they could. 
This point is about forty miles from Jackson, and probably about 
thirty miles from the heads of the south branch of Salt creek, but 
of the actual distance they were ignorant, only knowing that it 
lay some distance beyond the west boundary line of the Ohio com- 
pany lands. After several days travel and making examinations,, 
they fell upon a stream which led in the right direction, and fol- 



History of Jackson County. 59" 

lowing it down, soon met with paths leading as they supposed to 
the spring. They soon discovered where fires had recently been 
made, and searching carefully in the bed of the creek found a hole 
which had been scooped out by the Indians in the sandrock and 
filled with brackish water. A small brass kettle which they had 
with them for cooking, when filled with water and boiled away,, 
made about a tablespoonful of salt. 

Although the water was weak, yet it proved that they had dis- 
covered the long talked of and desirable fountain, whose waters- 
afforded the precious article of salt. It was like the discovery of 
the philosopher's stone to the alchemist, for every ounce of it could 
be turned into gold. After spending one night and part of a day 
at the place, they commenced their homeward journey, well pleased 
with the success of their search. They dare not stay longer and 
make a larger quantity, lest some straggling Indians should dis- 
cover them and give notice to the village at Chillicothe, distant 
about twenty-five miles. They were too numerous to fear any small 
hunting party. 

Their return to the mouth of Leading creek was accomplished 
in a much shorter period than in going out. The night after they 
left Salt creek, while all were buried in sleep by their camp fire,, 
they were awakened by a terrific scream. All sprang to their feet,, 
seized their arms, and extinguished the fire, expecting every 
moment to hear the shot and shouts of the savages. After listen- 
ing a minute or two, and no enemy appearing, they began to inquire 
into the cause of the alarm, and found that one of the party had 
been seized with cramp in his sleep and made this terrible outcry. 
They were rejoiced that it was from no worse a cause, and lay 
down quietly until morning. When they reached the mouth of 
Leading creek the water had fallen ten or twelve feet, and had left 
the pirogue high and dry on land. It required half an hour or more 
to launch the boat and get under way. 

By the time they had reached the middle of the Ohio, proposing 
to cross over and go up on the Virginia shore, a party of Indians 
appeared on the bank at the spot they had just left, in hot pursuit. 
Fortunately, they were out of reach of their shot. The adventurers 



<60 History of Jackson County. 

felt very thankful for their providential escape, for had their pur- 
suers reached the river a few minutes sooner, while all hands were 
engaged in getting the boat into the water, they would in all 
probability have fallen a sacrifice to the Indians. At the treaty 
two years after, an Indian who was with the pursuing party, told 
Colonel Lewis, of Kanawha, that the whites had been discovered 
while at the creek boiling salt by two Indians, who were then on 
a hunt, and had seen the smoke of their fire. They were too weak 
to attack so large a party and hastened back to their town for 
assistance. Twenty Indians immediately went in pursuit, but 
greatly to their disappointment, did not overtake them until they 
had left the shore and were out of danger. They reached the gar- 
rison unmolested and relieved the fears of their families and 
friends, as to their safety, it having been in fact a very dangerous 
enterprise. 

So desirable a discovery was considered to be very valuable, 
and Esquire Green, in a visit he made to Philadelphia soon after, 
sold the right of his discovery for the benefit of himself and part- 
ners, to John Nicholson, a merchant of that city, for $1,500, who 
was to come into possession of the spring by purchasing the land 
on which it was situated as soon as it was surveyed by the United 
States and offered for sale. 

THE JAMES FORAY— In the month of February, 1795, Jonas 
Davis, one of the Ohio company's settlers, was killed by Indians 
near the mouth of Crooked creek. Major John James and three 
friends determined that they would avenge the murder, and started 
in pursuit. Following is an account of their experience as written 
by Hildreth: "The day after the death of Davis, a party of four 
young men, headed by John James, one of the most active and 
resolute of the borderers, proceeded down the Ohio in a canoe in 
pursuit of the murderers of Davis. The rangers at Gallipolis had 
ascertained that a party of Indians were hunting on the head of 
Symmes creek, and from the direction pursued by the war party 
in their retreat, they were led to think they belonged to the band. 
With all diligence they hastened on to the mouth of the Big 



History of Jackson County. 61 

Kanawha, in expectation of being joined there by volunteers from 
the garrison; but none turned out, declining to do so on account 
of the armistice made with the Indians after their defeat by Gen- 
eral Wayne. Proceeding on to Gallipolis and making known the 
object of their pursuit, four men volunteered their aid and joined 
them. From this place they hastened onward to Raccoon creek, 
and ranged up that stream one day, without making any discovery 
of the Indians. Here one of their men fell sick and turned back, 
while another had to accompany him, leaving only six to continue 
on the pursuit. The following day they reached the heads of 
Symnies creek, where is a large pond, about a mile long and a 
quarter of a mile wide, a famous place for trapping beaver. They 
soon fell upon signs of the Indians and on a bush by the edge 
of the pond found an Indian's cap made of beaver skin, which he 
had left to mark the spot where his trap was set. Mr. James took 
this into his own keeping. As it was near sunset, the party secreted 
themselves behind a large fallen tree, waiting for night, when they 
intended to attack the Indians in their camp, make one fire, and 
rush on with their tomahawks, not thinking the hunting party 
could number more than eight or ten men, but they subsequently 
found they amounted to near forty, divided into two camps, one 
on each side of the pond. They had lain concealed but a short time 
when an Indian who had been out hunting came in sight, and was 
closely examining the trail made by the whites, knowing that it 
was that of strangers. When he came within forty or fifty yards,, 
one of the party, Joseph Miller, fired, and the Indian fell. As Mr. 
James rushed up with his tomahawk, he raised the war cry, and 
was instantly answered by his comrades from their camp, distant 
not more than two or three hundred yards, for they directly came 
rushing up in force, before James could accomplish his purpose,, 
and with his party he was obliged rapidly to retreat, as the 
Indians far outnumbered them. Seeing the whites likely to escape 
they set their dogs on their trail, who came yelping and barking at* 
their heels, like hounds in pursuit of a fox. Fortunately, it soon 
came so dark that their enemies could not see their trail, and fol- 
lowed only by the barking of the dogs. For a day or two preceding,. 



•62 History of Jackson County. 

it had rained heavily and when they reached the east fork of the 
creek, it was too high for fording. They hastily made a raft of dry 
logs, but it became entangled in the bushes in the creek bottom, 
which was all overflowed, so that they had to abandon it. Their 
escape this way being cut off, they were forced to return to the 
ridge between the two branches, and travel up until they could 
cross by fording. A little before morning they halted and rested 
themselves until daylight, the dogs for some time having ceased to 
pursue them, or by barking to give notice of their position. Soon 
after this, they found a fordable place in the creek and crossed over. 
Here they lay an hour or two, waiting for the Indians, expecting 
them to pursue the trail with daylight, and intending to fire upon 
them in the water; but they did not come, having probably crossed 
higher up the stream. When they reached Raccoon creek, that was 
-also full, and had to be crossed on a raft. The party reached Galli- 
polis the next day at evening. Colonel Robert Safford, of Gallipolis, 
then acting as a ranger, went out the next morning and found the 
trail of the Indians pursuing the whites to within a short distance 
of the town. The pond of Symmes creek is distant about one hun- 
dred miles from Belpre, and shows this to have been one of the 
most hazardous, daring and long continued pursuits after a depre- 
dating band of Indians which occurred during the war; reflecting 
great credit on the spirited men who conducted it. It was the 
last warfare with the savages from this part of the territory. The 
pond referred to above was located on the Black Fork of Symmes 
creek. 

TREATY OF GREENVILLE— General Wayne remained in 
the Indian country until he had accomplished all that he had been 
sent to do. It was not enough to subdue the Indians. They could 
not be exterminated nor removed from the territory, but it was 
necessary that they be induced to bury the tomahawk. He worked 
to secure a treaty that all the tribes would recognize. After much 
conciliatory work the Great Council assembled at Greenville on 
June 10, 1795. During its sessions the chiefs were won over one 
by one, and on August 3, 1795, the treaty of Greenville was signed 



History of Jackson County. 63 

by General Wayne and ninety chiefs and delegates of twelve tribes. 
By this treaty all the territory south of the Greenville line was 
ceded by the Indians to the whites, for a consideration. The ceded 
territory included what is now Jackson county, and the date above 
saw the Indian dominion over it ended forever. 

THE FIRST SALT BOILER— The time had now come for a 
permanent settlement at the Scioto licks. Their location was com- 
mon property and only fear of the Indians had kept out squatters. 
The honor of being the first salt boiler to settle at the licks be- 
longs to Joseph Conklin. When the Great Council at Greenville 
was in session, he was living in Mason county, Kentucky. He had 
his thoughts on the rich licks in the woods, however, and when the 
news of the treaty reached him, he at once gathered together his 
effects, and taking his family with him, he set out into the wilder- 
ness. A companion or two joined him. They crossed the Ohio and 
took the Guyan trace. One evening they reached the sulphur 
spring that wells out at the foot of Broadway. There they rested 
and camped for the night, and the history of Poplar Row began. 
Conklin at once set to work to build a cabin. Its location is not 
known, but judging from the circumstances and the condition of 
the surface surrounding the licks, it is believed that he built near 
the sulphur spring already mentioned. This done, the work of 
making salt was hastily undertaken to secure a supply before the 
fall rains set in. He used the salt water basins that the Indians 
had cut in the sandstone at the riffle just below the mouth of 
Givens' run and built his first furnace on the bank near by. This 
furnace was a very simple affair, being little more than a kettle or 
two A something like a molasses camp. All hands worked hard at 
salt making. It was not long until a few persons came in from the 
Ohio company's lands to make some salt before winter. There 
also came other visitors, not as* desirable, viz-, the Indians. After 
the treaty of Greenville, several bands came to the licks, little 
thinking that the white man was already there. They were peace- 
able, however, and soon discovered that the white man w;is a 
convenience after all. The Indian warriors disliked the drudgery 



64 History of Jackson County- 



of salt making, and they were well pleased when they found that 
Conklin, and his companions were willing and anxious to barter 
salt for game and other necessaries. Thus commenced a trade 
with the Indians that continued for several years, some of them 
visiting the salt works even after the organization of the county. 
Among them were Shawanese, Senecas, Delawares and represen- 
tatives of many other tribes. 

Conklin prospered at the licks, but he was only a squatter,, 
and he foresaw that conditions would change before many year* 
had passed. In 1801 he had a fine furnace and one of the richest 
wells, and when William Givens proposed to buy them, he sold 
out and moved away, settling near Wheeler's Mills, in Scioto^ 
county. 

CONGRESS ACTS — John Nicholson never came into posses- 
sion of the springs. Their discovery and location soon became 
known to the General Government, and they were set aside for 
the use of the whole people. This action was taken May 18, 1796, 
when an act of Congress was approved, providing for the sale of 
lands in the territory northwest of the Ohio. The reference to 
the licks is found in the third section of that act, which is as 
follows: 

Section 3. Be it further enacted, That a salt spring lying 
upon a creek which empties in the Scioto river, on the east side r 
together with as many contiguous sections as shall be equal to 
one township, and every other salt spring which may be discov- 
ered, together with the section of one mile square, which includes 
it, also four sections at the center of every township, containing 
each one mile square, shall be reserved for the future disposal of 
the United States; but there shall be no reservations except for 
salt springs, in fractional townships, where the fraction is less 
than three fourths of a township. 

THE SECOND SALT BOILER— John Martin, who came to 
the Scioto licks in 1796, was the second salt boiler of whom there 
is record, and the first to remain in the neighborhood. He thus 
became the founder of the oldest family in the county. The first 



History of Jackson County. 65 

ancestor of whom there is record was .lames Mai tin, who was 
born in Ireland in the early part of the last century. Like many 
another young Irishman, he emigrated, and settled in Pennsyl- 
vania. He found his wife there. In a few years he went south 
to Maryland. Little is known of their family. A son was born 
to them in 177l\ whom they named John. Two other sons were 
named Hugh and .lames, but our story concerns John only. His 
youth covered the stormy years of the Revolution, when he could 
enjoy only few advantages, but he developed that sturdy manhood 
which made America lice. Nothing is known of his Maryland life 
except that he acted as teamster for a time and hauled Hour from 
the Ellicott mills to Baltimore. 

When the news came of the successful issue of the Indian war 
in Ohio, Martin was one of many whose thoughts turned toward 
the west. In 1796 he started through the wilderness for the new 
born Buckeye state, and did not stop until he reached (he Scioto 
Salt Works, now known as Jackson. Here he found employment 
at the salt works, which occupation he followed for many years. 
He worked for the firm of Ross & Nelson, and afterward for John 
Johnson and others. Other members of his family came here, 
including his father. The latter left in later years and went to 
Tennessee, where he died in 1816, after marrying a second time. 
The manufacture of salt became less profitable with the discovery 
of stronger brine in other parts of the state, and John Martin then 
turned his thoughts to farming. He entered a large tract of laud 
in what is now Franklin township, and removed there to live, 
where he spent the rest of his life until 1S56, when he returned 
to this city to live with his son Courtney. He died December 1", 
1858, aged 86 years, 11 months and 6 days. He had been 
a member of the M. E. Church here for 45 years. His remains 
were 1 interred in the old cemetery, but were removed to Fairmount 
in 1900. His wife survived him and lived with her son Court- 
ney until her death, which occurred December 26, 1866. She was 
born in Maryland December 25, 17S6, her maiden name being 
Margarel Shoup. Her family came to the salt works at an early 
day. where she was married to John Martin in 1805. Another 



66 History of Jackson County. 

sister, Mrs. Sylvester, lived here until recent years. Both united 
with the M. E. Church in 1801, and Mrs. Martin was a member 
for 65 years. The Methodist meetings were held for many years 
at her home on Poplar Row, long before Jackson was laid out. 

John and Hugh Martin joined the Tupper expedition to San- 
dusky in the War of 1812. Hugh was taken ill on the way and 
was left behind, but John served throughout the campaign, which 
was short but severe. 

John and Margaret Martin had a family of five children, who 
grew to maturity. They were Courtney M., John M., Elizabeth, 
Nancy and Eliza. 

Courtney Mclntyre Martin was born in Lick township, in this 
county, September 14, 1800. Nancy Stephenson was born in 
Tacy's Valley, Cabell county, Virginia, August 22, 1800. They 
were married October 10, 1831, Rev. Truit officiating. Both died 
July 2, 1804. Their funeral was held July 4, at 9 a. m., and both 
were buried in the same grave side by side. Born within 23 days 
of each other, dying the same day, and buried in the same grave, 
their lot may be said to have been peculiarly happy. 

The second son, John M., was born in Franklin township in 
1808. He came to Jackson and went into business at an early 
period. He was elected Treasurer of the county in 1834, and 
served until 1841. He was elected Recorder in 1861 and served 
until 1867. He was afterward postmaster of Jackson. He died 
January 20, 1884, aged 75 years. 

Elizabeth was married to Harmon Lowry. They removed to 
Vinton county in the fifties, and she died at McArthur several 
years ago from the effects of burns. 

Nancy was born January 29, 1820. She was married to Daniel 
Stewart and became the mother of eight children. She died 
August 4, 1892, aged 72 years, 6 months and 5 days. 

Eliza was the youngest and she survives. 

SQUATTER SOVEREIGNTY— The growth of the settlement 
at the licks was very slow until after Ohio was admitted into the 
Union. The cause is not far to seek. As already mentioned, 



History of Jackson County. 67 

Congress by the Act of 1796 reserved a township of land sur- 
rounding the licks for the use of the Government. This made it 
an impossibility for any one to enter land in the township. At 
the same time Congress neglected to make any arrangements for 
leasing the salt wells, and this left them at the mercy of the 
squatters. The period of Squatter Soverignty lasted from 1795 
till the spring of 1803. Little of the history of this period has 
survived. The squatters did not feel justified in making improve- 
ments, for only the common law of the camp would secure their 
title, and that did not hold if they absented themselves from 
the licks. The majority of the salt boilers of this period were 
thus forced to be transients. They came here in the summer, made 
salt for a few months, and when the waters rose in the fall, flood- 
ing the bottoms, they returned to their homes, in the territory of 
the Ohio Company, Virginia or Kentucky, as the case might be. 
A very large proportion of the early settlers of Southern Ohio 
visited the licks during this period. Felix Renick, Joseph Har- 
ness and Leonard Stump of Virginia were among the visitors in 
1798, and Colonel Return J. Meigs and Paul Fearing of Marietta 
passed through in 1799, when on their way to Cincinnati. Joseph 
Vance, afterward Governor of Ohio, worked here as a salt boiler, 
and William Salter, afterward a citizen of Portsmouth, spent a 
few years here. The pioneers came from all parts of the state to 
get salt. Judge Silvanus Ames of Athens county came here in 
1802 by way of Chillicothe. Many others might be mentioned. 

GEORGE L. CROOKHAM— Occasionally young men would 
secure employment here and remain permanently. Of the num- 
ber were John Kight and George L. Crookham, who came to the 
licks in 1799. The latter became one of the leading men of the 
settlement and lived in the county until his death. He was born 
at Carlisle, Pennsylvania, November 18, 1779. He had a taste for 
learning and soon qualified himself to teach. When only twenty 
years of age he came to the licks and went to work at a salt 
furnace. Bu1 he kept up his studies. Even at night, while watch- 
ing the kettles, he pursued his studies, and John Farney is an- 



68 History of Jackson County. 

thority for the statement that he included astronomy among them. 
Mathematics engaged his attention the oftenest, but he was a 
student of Nature and her works, even down to insects. In 1812 
he volunteered for the war, and rendered his country valuable 
service, for which he received in later years a land warrant. 
He was a great lover of freedom, and when the slavery question 
began to attract attention in 1836 he became an Abolitionist. 
This made him very obnoxious to many of his neighbors, and that 
led to an act of incendiarism, which disgraced the county and lost 
to posterity a very valuable book. He had a school house on his 
farm, two miles west of Jackson, where he taught the children 
of the neighborhood. In this little house he kept his library, his 
collection of curiosities and relics, and a manuscript history of 
the salt works from the earliest days. One night the building was 
fired by some pro-slavery people, and it was destroyed with all its 
contents. Mr. Crookham was the father of sixteen children, four- 
teen of whom survived him. He died February 28, 1857, at the 
home of his son-in-law, J. W. Hanna, east of Jackson, the most 
learned man in the county, and respected by all. The bells of the 
town were tolled on the day of his funeral. 



OTHER PIONEERS— Little is known of John Kight, and 
nothing is known of Shoup, except his name, and the date of his 
arrival, viz: 1800. Daniel F. Dean came here before the end of 
the eighteenth century, and was the first man to lose his life at 
the licks by accident. He met his death at a rolling, a heavy log 
crushing him to the earth. His grave may be found on McKit- 
terick's Hill, and a stone marked the place when I came to Jackson 
in 1889. Davis Mackley, who became editor of The Standard before 
the pioneers had all passed away, published a number of notes, 
from which the following extracts are quoted: I had frequent con- 
versations during their life time with John Farney, John Kight, 
John Martin, Vincent Southard and Mother Sylvester. John Kight 
informed me that he came to the salt licks in 1799, and there were 
then a few persons settled around the salt wells. These salt wells 
were located around the western outcrop of the conglomerate, or 



History of Jackson County. 69 

salt rock, and the salt water to this day comes to the surface. 
The western edge of the salt rock comes up in the bed of Salt 
creek, near Diamond Furnace, and the wain' dashing over it has 
cut quite a hole below the rock and causes a fall of nearly four feet. 
The water was drawn from the salt wells in wooden buckets with 
a balance pole, or sweep pole, as it was called. The water was 
boiled in the common sugar kettles. The first white man who 
made salt here as a regular business was Mr. Conklin. His fur- 
nace was in the bottom, nearly north of where Globe Furnace is 
now located. The different wells and furnaces received such 
names as were suggested by the character of the persons by which 
they were surrounded. There was a well and furnace near the 
railroad bridge, between Star Furnace and town, which was one 
of the most extensive establishments. The persons operating this 
establishment lived in cabins on the high bluff, where is now 
the residence of James Chesnut, and where the Presbyterian 
Church stands. This was called Purgatory. The wells and fur- 
naces near the Infirmary were called Paradise, and the next group, 
beyond the residence of H. C. Bunn, were named New Jerusalem. 
The salt water or brine was weak, and it took several hundred 
gallons of it to make a bushel of salt. It was boiled down with 
wood, which was cut from the surrounding hills. When the wood 
became scarce near the furnaces and wells, other furnaces were 
erected nearer the timber, and the water was taken from the wells 
to the timber in logs, bored through and spliced together. It was 
sometimes taken nearly a mile from the wells to these furnaces. 
The salt boilers were utterly ignorant of the nature and use of 
stone coal, and although these salt wells were located in the 
vicinity of the best coal in the world, yet they never used a bushel 
of it. There is a tradition that an owner of a salt well who needed 
stone to erect a furnace, used blocks of coal, which soon burned 
down and dropped his kettles to the ground. (This was up near 
Petrea. — Ed.) The pioneers related many anecdotes about the 
licks: The story about being shot with a packsaddle at the licks 
has gone into history. Some of the men above named were pres- 
ent and told me how it occurred. But I must first tell what a pack- 



70 History of Jackson County. 

saddle is. It was made by taking two pieces of wood, so crooked 
that they would fit on a horse's back. On the under side was fast- 
ened on each side boards some eighteen inches long. These boards 
were fastened to the crooked pieces with wooden pins, and the 
under side was padded with linen, and between the padding and 
the boards it was stuffed with straw, chaff or hair. On these pack- 
saddles our fathers transported salt as far as Pomeroy, and West 
Columbia, West Virginia. I must go back to the shooting with 
a packsaddle. One of the kettle tenders at a salt furnace out of 
pure "cussedness" threw a packsaddle into the furnace. It belonged 
to a man who had come some distance for salt. The owner said 
but little and went home. He procured another packsaddle, and 
put a quantity of gunpowder in the pad, .and returned to the same 
furnace. Some time in the night this was also thrown into the 
furnace. The furnace was destroyed, but fortunately no one was 
hurt. 

VETERANS OF THE REVOLUTION— Many of the first set- 
tlers were veterans of the Revolutionary War, but no complete 
list of them is in existence. A few old pension papers are on file 
at the Court House, and the declarations in them are given a place 
here: 

George Whaley declared Jan. 27, 1821, that he was enlisted 
for one year at Lewisburg, Greenbrier county, Virginia, on or 
about the 15th day of November, 1776, and served in the company 
of Captain Matthew Arbuckle of the Twelfth regiment of Virginia, 
and that he continued to serve in said company in the service of 
the United States, in the Continental army, against the common 
enemy until about the 15th day of November, 1777. He was again 
enlisted at Lewisburg in state and county aforesaid, in the com- 
pany of Captain Matthew Arbuckle of the Twelfth regiment of 
Virginia, commanded by Colonel John Newel of General Hand's 
brigade; that he continued to serve in said corps, or in the service 
of the United States, in the Continental army, against the common 
enemy, until about the 15th day of November, 1779, when he was 
honorably discharged at Fort Randall, at the mouth of Big Kan 
awha, and that he was in service three years in the whole time. 
Was at Fort Randall when attacked by the Indians in 1778. 



History of Jackson County. 71 

Henry Hughes declared June 2(5, 1821, that he enlisted in the 
year 1779 for eighteen months, in a company commanded by Cap- 
tain John Andrews, which said company belonged to a regiment 
commanded by Colonel Hawes of the North Carolina line, on the 
Continental establishment; was in the battles of Guilford Court 
House, Camden, Eutaw Springs, and in several other skirmishes; 
was wounded at the battle of Camden, and that he was discharged 
from the service in the year 1781, by Major Snead, at Salisbury, 
North Carolina. A grandson of this man now lives in Frank- 
lin township. 

James Dawson declared October 6, 1820, that he served three 
years and seven months in the Thirteenth Virginia regiment of 
regulars, and was in battle against the Indians at the town of 
Coshocton, on the Muskingum river, in the state of Ohio; also in 
battle against the Indians at the mouth of White Woman's Creek; 
also in battle on Big Beaver, and many others. He has many 
descendants in the county. 

William Darby declared June 26, 1821, that he served in the 
Kevolutionary War as follows: That he served as drummer in 
Captain Davis' company until he, Captain Davis, was killed; then 
in Captain Carbery's company, that Colonel Hoobly commanded; 
when he was discharged he belonged to General Wagner's divi- 
sion, and that he served, five years and ten months during the 
Kevolutionary War in the Pennsylvania line on Continental estab- 
lishment. 

Thomas Craig declared October 17, 1820, that he served in the 
Kevolutionary War as follows: In the First regiment, under Col- 
onel Rollins, Second company, commanded by Captain Richard 
Davis, of the Maryland line, and that he has received a pension, 
and that the certificate is No. 10780; that he enlisted in the year 
177(i, and was taken prisoner at Fort Washington, and was not 
discharged till 1784. 

Seth Larrabee declared June 29, 1821, that he served in the 
Revolutionary War as follows, to-wil : That he was enlisted for 
three years at Windham, in the state of Connecticut, on or about 
the month of January, 1777, under Captain Nino Elderkin, belong" 



72 History of Jackson County. 

ing to a regiment commanded by Colonel Herman Swift, and that 
he continued to serve in said company in the service of the United 
States in the Continental army, against the common enemy, until 
about January, 1780, when he was honorably discharged at Mor- 
ristown, New Jersey, about the month of December, in the year 
1781. He was again enlisted at the town of Windham, in the 
state of Connecticut, for three years, under Captain Joseph Thong, 
belonging to Colonel Thomas Swift's regiment. He continued in 
said regiment to serve against the common enemy for the term 
of three years, when he was honorably discharged at West Point. 
He served in the whole six years on Continental establishment 
against the common enemy; was in the battles of Germantown and 
Monmouth. 

James Hulse declared June 20, 1821, that he served in the 
Revolutionary War in the Virginia Continental line, for the term 
of three years, for which he received a bounty in land from that 
state; that he enlisted at Shepherdstown, Virginia, in the com- 
pany commanded by Captain Abraham Shepherd, and served under 
him in the Twelfth Virginia regiment. 

William Clarke declared October 16, 1820, that he served in 
the Revolutionary War as follows: In the First Virginia state 
regiment of artillery three years; was in a battle against the 
British at Hampton, the regiment commanded by Thomas Mar- 
shall; was in North Carolina when Colonel Bluford was defeated. 

John Exline declared May 19, 1825, that he served as a private 
soldier in the Revolutionary War, in the Virginia Continental line, 
for the term of eighteen months; that he was enlisted in Hamp- 
shire county, Virginia, in the year 1781, by Captain Thomas Wai- 
man, in whose company he served until after the surrender of 
Cornwallis at Yorktown, at which he was engaged as a oesieger 
in said company. After the surrender to Washington by Corn- 
wallis, at Yorktown, this deponent and the company, with a de- 
tachment of about 800, he thinks, moved off and pressed on to 
Cumberland Court House, where they remained during the winter 
succeeding said surrender. In the spring they were marched to 
Savannah, in Georgia, or near the same, at a place called 



History of Jackson County. 73 

Widow Givens. He was marched to Georgia in a company 
commanded by Captain Beverly Roy, the whole detachment under 
Colonel Posey; a stop for a time at a place called Eleenegantown, 
after which he came to Charleston, South Carolina, where he 
remained until he was marched to Cumberland Court House, again, 
when at the expiration of his eighteen months he received an hon- 
orable discharge under Gen. Charles Scott and Colonel Posey. The 
discharge was signed by said Scott. He states he does not now 
remember the number of the company and the regiment, but be- 
lieves the Colonel's name was Gist. 

THOMAS OLIVER— The last survivor of this band of heroes 
was Thomas Oliver, whose remains lie buried in Mt. Zion cem- 
etery. The people of Jackson held a celebration July 4th, 1843, 
and two old veterans were brought to town and placed on the stage 
during the exercises. They were James Dawson and Thomas 
Oliver. The latter lived until February 23, 1844, and was SO years 
old at the time of his death. His son by his second wife, Hiram 
Oliver, has furnished us the following data concerning him: "My 
father, Thomas Oliver, was a native of Maryland. He was born 
May 10, 1763, on the western shore of Chesapeake Bay. His father 
died when he was 14 years old, and he then went to live with his 
Uncle David Loftiand in Loudon county, Virginia. He remained 
with him about three years, when he enlisted in the Revolutionary 
army. He joined the Sixth Virginia regiment, commanded by 
Colonel Muhlenberg. This was in 1779. He enlisted for seven 
years, or for the war, and when the war was ended he was dis- 
charged, having served three years and seven months. For this 
service he was pensioned in 1834, getting a pension of $80 a year. 
He was married three times. His first wife was Sarah Edwards, 
daughter of Joseph Edwards, a Welshman. This marriage occurred 
when he was 27 years of age. Eight children were born to them, 
all of whom grew to maturity. They were William, Thomas, 
Charles, Wesley, Nancy, Rebecca, Elizabeth and Sarah. His wife 
died in Mason county, Virginia. In 1816 he came to Ohio and set- 
tled on Symmes creek, in this county, leasing a part of the school 
land. 



74 History of Jackson Cotjnty. 

HARRISON'S RECOMMENDATION — The condition of 
affairs a1 the Scioto 1 i«-l<s during tliix period was no1 what Congress 
bad contemplated when it passed the act of ITlMi. reserving a town- 
ship of land for the use of the Government, but four years were 
allowed to elapse before the next action was taken. On February 
19, 1800, W. 11. Earrison, the Ohio delegate in Congress, com- 
municated the following recommendation to the Lower House: 

That, upon inquiring into the situation of the salt springs and 
licks, the property of the United states, they have been informed 
from respectable authorities, thai those on the east side of the 
Scioto, on the east of the Muskingum, and one or two near the 
(ireat .Miami, are now in the occupancy of a number of persons, 
who are engaged in the making of salt to a very considerable 
extent, and that these persons, by a destructive waste of the tim- 
ber in the neighborhood of the springs, are daily diminishing their 
value. The committee therefore think it advisable thai measures 
should he immediately taken to secure to the United States the 
benetits arising from these springs, and therefore submit to the 
House the following resolution: 

Resolved, Thai all the salt springs and licks, the property 
of the United States, in the territory northwest of the Ohio, ought 
to be leased for a term not less than ... nor more than .. years. 

GALLATIN'S SUGGESTION— The Harrison resolution was 
never carried into ell'ect by Congress, for the people in the eastern 
part of the Northwest Territory were already thinking of state- 
hood, and the leasing of the licks was allowed to wait until the 
state should gel possession of them. When the question of pass- 
ing the Ohio Enabling Act came before Congress, .Mi'. Giles, Chair- 
man of the committee having the matter in hand, solicited Hon. 
Albert Gallatin for some observations on the disposal of the licks. 
The latter submitted the following on February L3, L802: The 
granl of the Scioto salt springs will at present be considered as 
the most valuable, and alone would most probably induce a com- 
pliance on the pari of the new state with the conditions proposed 
by Congress; and. if it be considered that at least one-half of the 



History of Jackson County. 75 



future population of thai district will draw their sail from that 
source, the propriety of preventing the monopoly of that article 
falling into the hands of any private individual can hardly be 
disputed. 

Acting on this suggestion, the committee recommended to 
the House on .March I, LS02, that the following be one of the 
propositions made to the Convention of the Eastern State of the 
Nort hwest Territory : 

2. That the Six Miles Reservation, including the salt springs, 
commonly called the Scioto salt springs, shall be granted to the 

State of when formed, for the use of the people thereof; 

the same to he used under such terms, conditions and regulations 
as the Legislature of the said state shall direct; provided, the 
said Legislature shall never sell nor lease the same for a longer 
term than .... years. 

LEASING THE LICKS— The Ohio Enabling Act was passed 
April 30, 1802, and the limit of the salt leases was fixed at ten 
years. The first Constitutional Convention met November 1, 1802, 
at Chillicothe, which had been made the capital by the act of 
Congress of May 7, 1800. The convention accepted the salt re- 
serve proposition of Congress, formulated a Constitution, and ad- 
journed November 21), 1802, all its labors over. On February 19 r 
1803, Congress passed an act recognizing Ohio's statehood, and 
the First General Assembly met at Chillicothe March 1, 1803. 
One of the first matters that came up for consideration was the 
leasing of the Scioto salt licks. This coming to the knowledge 
of the squatters at the licks, they secured the services of Major 
John .lames to go to Chillicothe to present a petition to the Legis- 
lature. The .Journal record is to this effect: On March 2."), L803, 
.lames "presented a petition from sundry inhabitants of the Scioto 
Salt Lick township, praying for privilege of continuing their busi- 
ness as formerly for the present season." The petition was read 
and referred to the committee in charge of the matter. It was 
presented too late, however, for the following resolutions had been 
reported by the Committee of the Whole to (he House on March 
23, 1803, two days before .Major James' arrival: 



History of Jackson County. 



Resolved, That it is inexpedient at this time for the Legisla- 
ture to make any provisions for renting the salt springs for any 
longer period than the 1st day of April, 1804. 

Resolved, That an agent, or agents, be appointed, who shall 
procure and keep a book or books of entries, for the purpose of 
entering all the kettles or other vessels used in boiling salt water 
at the different salt works, specifying the size, and that all persons 
shall make entry with such agent, and shall pay to him the sum of 
.... cents per annum, on each gallon his kettle or other vessel 
may contain, which money shall be paid by said agent into the 
treasury of the state. 

Resolved, That it shall be the duty of said agent to ascertain 
by experiment or otherwise, before the next session of the Legis- 
lature, what quantity of water will produce one bushel of salt, 
the expense attending the reduction of said water, to explore the 
township and sections containing the salt springs, ascertaining the 
quality of the land, state of the timber, etc.; to enquire whether 
in the neighborhood of either of the salt springs any quantity of 
stone coal can be found, also of what quality it may be, and 
whether it will answer as a substitute for wood in boiling the 
water; to ascertain the extent and situation of the springs; what 
number of wells may be dug, or what number of furnaces may be 
erected, and the value of the present improvements, and to make 
report thereof to the next Legislature. 

Ordered, That Mr. Patton and Mr. Silliman prepare and bring 
in a bill, pursuant to the said report. 

William Patton and Wyllis Silliman, appointed to draft the 
bill, made all due haste, and it was reported to the House and 
read the first time April 6. It passed April 9, and went to the 
Senate. It passed the Senate April 12, and became a law April 
13, 1803. Following is a copy of it: 

AN ACT REGULATING THE PUBLIC SALT WORKS— 
Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of 
Ohio, That an agent be appointed by a joint ballot of both Houses 
for one year, to commence from and after the 1st of May next, who 
shall, previous to entering on the duties of his office, enter into a 



Histoky of Jackson County. 77 



bond with good freehold security, to the governor and his suc- 
cessors, for the use of the state, in the penal sum of two thousand 
dollars, conditioned for the faithful performance of the duties 
required by this act. 

Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That it shall be the duty 
of said agent to provide a book or books, and open an office at 
the Scioto salt works, on the 1st day of June next, of which he 
shall give twenty days' notice, by advertisement in the Scioto Ga- 
zette, and also at some public place at the said works, and keep 
said office open to all persons having business to transact therein. 

Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That if any of the occu- 
piers of the furnaces or wells, which may be erected or sunk before 
the said 1st day of June, shall choose to continue in the occupancy 
thereof, they shall, on the day last mentioned, make application 
to the agent for a license for that purpose, who is hereby required 
to grant the same for any period not exceeding one year, such 
applicant first producing to said agent a written list, signed with 
his name, containing a true account of the furnaces and wells he 
may then be in possession of, together with the number and 
capacity of the kettles he intends to use in making salt at said 
works, which list shall be carefully filed in said office, and a fair 
entry thereof made by said agent in a book to be provided, as 
aforesaid, for that purpose; but if any of the occupiers, as afore- 
said, shall refuse or neglect to make application on the day above 
mentioned, then it shall be the duty of the said agent to rent such 
furnaces and wells to any person who may apply therefor, such 
person first producing a like list as is required of the occupiers 
aforesaid, whereupon the agent shall grant a license to such appli- 
cant in the same manner as is required in the case of occupiers; 
provided, always, that the occupiers shall have a reasonable time 
to remove their kettles and other movable property from such fur- 
naces and wells; and, provided also, that no person or company 
shall, under any pretense whatever, be permitted to use, at any 
time, a greater number of kettles than one hundred and twenty, 
nor less number in any one furnace than twenty kettles. 

Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That upon application 



78 History of Jackson County. 

made to the said agent by any person for the privilege to erect 
furnaces or sink wells at the said salt works, the said agent is 
hereby required to assign to such applicant a convenient lot or 
lots for that purpose, taking rare that the erection of such fur- 
naces or sinking such wells shall uot injure those already erected 
or sunk; and such new furnaces and wells shall be under the same 
regulations and the kettles therein subject to the same rent, as is 
provided in the case of those already elected or sunk. 

Sec. 5. And be it further enacted, That every person obtain- 
ing a license as aforesaid shall pay, or cause to be paid to the said 
agent, quarter yearly, the sum of three cents per gallon, according 
to the capacity of the kettles or other vessels used in making salt 
a.s aforesaid; and for the better securing of said rent, the kettles 
of each person so renting shall be considered to stand pledged to 
the state until all arrears of rent are satisfied and paid, and any 
sale thereof made while such rent remains unpaid shall be deemed 
Toid and of no effect. 

Sec. (>. And be it further enacted, That when any person or 
company, who may own or occupy any furnace or furnaces agree- 
able to the provisions of this act, shall fail to pay the sum or sums 
which may be due the state, agreeable to law, the agent shall be 
and is hereby authorized and required to make distress on and 
sale of the property of any such person or company so failing to 
make payment; provided, always, that the said agent shall in all 
cases give fifteen days previous notice, in writing, at five of the 
most public places within the township where the works lie, of 
any such sale. 

Sec. 7. And be it further enacted, That if any person shall, 
after the said 1st day of June, make, or cause to be made, any 
salt at the said salt works, without first obtaining a license there- 
for, agreeable to the requisitions of this act, such person shall 
upon conviction thereof before any court having cognizance of the 
same, forfeit and pay the sum of five dollars for every such offense, 
with costs of suit, to the said agent for the use of the state, for 
each kettle he, she or they may use in making salt, contrary to 
the intent and meaning of this act. 



History ok Jackson County. 79 

Sec. 8. And be it further enacted, That the said agent shall 
pay to the Treasurer of this state quarter yearly all monies which 
he may receive by virtue of this act; and the Treasurer is required 
to give his receipt for the same, which shall be countersigned 
by the Auditor. 

Sec. 9. And be it further enacted, That it shall be the duty 
of the agent aforesaid to ascertain as near as may be the quantity 
of salt water requisite to make fifty ppunds of salt, and the neces- 
sary expenses attending the same, and also to ascertain whether 
or not there is contiguous to said works any considerable quantity 
of stone coal, and whether it can be used to advantage in boiling 
said water. Also to examine how far the salt water may extend 
in said township; likewise to examine the quality of the different 
sections of land, and whether they are well timbered or otherwise; 
also to ascertain the number and quality of the dwelling houses 
and the other improvements made in said township, and make 
a fair and accurate report thereof to the next General Assembly, 
together with the state of the furnaces and number of kettles 
entered in his office. 

Sec. 10. And be it further enacted, That the agent aforesaid 
shall receive as a compensation for the duties and services required 
of him by this act the sum of one hundred and fifty dollars yearly, 
to be audited by the Auditor of Public Accounts and paid by the 
Treasurer of the state, out of any public monies not otherwise 
appropriated. And the said agent shall moreover be allowed such 
compensation for performing the duties required by the ninth 
section of this act as the next Legislature may think proper. 

THE FIRST AGENT— Immediately alter this bill became a 
law the following resolution was introduced in the House: 

Resolved, by the Senate and Bouse of Representatives, That 
the two houses will on tomorrow (being Thursday, April Hi meet 
in the Representatives' chamber, at 10 o'clock, and proceed to elect 
an agent agreeably to the provisions of "An act to regulate the 
public salt works." 

This resolution was passed at once and sent to the Senate, 



80 History of Jackson County. 

which concurred the next morning. At the appointed hour both 
houses assembled and proceed to elect the agent by ballot. A 
count of the ballots showed that James Denny had been elected. 
The rule of the squatters was now over. Denny came to the salt 
works and at once proceeded to regulate the business in the inter- 
est of the state. He also went to work to explore the township, 
this being the initial geological survey in this state. He made his 
report to the Legislature December 3, 1803. Unfortunately the 
report was not preserved, or it was burned at the burning of the 
State House at Chillicothe. Denny was paid $82 for exploring 
Salt Lick township. 

THE FIRST ROAD— The Ohio Legislature appropriated the 
sum of $800 on February 18, 1S04, "for the purpose of opening and 
making a road from Gallipolis, in the county of Gallia, to Chilli- 
cothe." On the same day, Samuel S. Spencer, Esq., was selected 
by joint resolution as a commissioner to lay it out. He selected 
the route now known as the Gallipolis and Chillicothe road, passing 
through Jackson. This was the first road established in the ter- 
ritory now including Jackson county. 

THE LAST ROAD APPROPRIATIONS— The Ohio Legisla- 
ture passed a law on February 26, 1820, making appropriations of 
the three per cent, fund granted by the United States for laying 
out, opening and improving roads in this state. One section of 
this law relates to Jackson county and reads as follows: 

Section 28. Be it further enacted, That there shall be appro- 
priated in the county of Jackson the sum of one thousand dollars, 
to be applied on roads as follows: On the road leading from Jack- 
son towards Burlington and Little Sandy, the sum of one hundred 
and fifty dollars; on the road towards Gallipolis, the sum of two 
hundred dollars; on the road towards Wilkesville, the sum of one 
hundred dollars; on the road towards Athens, the sum of one hun- 
dred dollars; on the road towards Adelphi, the sum of one hundred 
dollars; on the road towards Portsmouth, the sum of fifty dollars; 
on the road towards Chillicothe, the sum of two hundred dollars, 
for the purpose of securing and repairing the bridges on the Chil- 



History of Jackson County. 81 

licothe road, to be drawn and appropriated by a special order of 
the Commissioners of Jackson county. 

On the same day Commissioners were selected by joint reso- 
lution to lay out or improve the roads designated, as follows: For 
the County of Jackson: — On the road from Jackson towards Bur- 
lington and Little Sandy, George Bowen, to lay out and open; 
second, on the road towards Adelphi, Timothy Darling, to lay 
out and open; third, on the road towards Gallipolis, Hugh Poor; 
fourth, on the road towards Wilkesville, Jeremiah Brown; fifth, 
on the road towards Athens, Patrick Shearer; sixth, on the road 
towards Portsmouth, Alexander Anderson; and on the road to- 
wards Chillicothe, John Runkle. 

TIFFIN'S MESSAGE— The Scioto salt works were now con- 
sidered of such importance that Governor Edward Tiffin, in his 
annual message to the General Assembly December 5, 1803, re* 
ferred to them as follows: The "act regulating the public salt 
works," expiring of itself, will demand your attention, and as it 
rs required of the agent in that department to make an accurate 
report to the General Assembly of the productiveness and state 
of the public salt works, you will be enabled to make such dis- 
positions, and provide for working those yet unoccupied in such 
way as may appear most conducive to the public good. As nature 
has placed this valuable article of salt, so necessary to the sus- 
tenance of man, in the bosom of our state, and as monopolies of 
that article have been effected in a neighboring state, would it 
not be advisable, if it can be effected, to prevent its exportation 
from the state, that our own citizens may reap all the benefits 
accruing from its use at home, or in salting their surplus provi- 
sions for exportation at as moderate a price as possible. 

Acting upon the Governor's recommendation, the Legislature 
passed on January 27, 1804, a second act to regulate the salt works. 
It provided that the agent's bond should be fixed at $4,000; that 
the agent should lay off 800 acres in 20-acre lots, for leasing for 
cultivation; that a space of four poles in width be left along the 
creek for a road ; that a space of at least thirty feet be left fronting 



82 History of Jackson County. 

works; that each salt boiler or mechanic be allowed to rent one or 
two lots for cultivation; that salt making be licensed at four cents 
a gallon; and that the agent should inspect each barrel of salt 
and mark it "inspected." 

The provisions of this act indicate that the Legislature was 
beginning to appreciate the necessities of the case. Attention 
may be called to the fact that this law was the first in this state 
to provide for the inspection of a product. 

A POSTOFFICE ESTABLISHED— The Government estab- 
lished a postoffice at the works on October 1, 1804. It was named 
Salt Lick, and Roger Seldon was appointed the first postmaster. 
On July 1, 1817, the name of the office was changed to Jackson, 
and Dr. Nathaniel W. Andrews appointed postmaster. It re- 
mained the only office in the county, until Oak Hill was established, 
March 11, 1837, with Levi Massie as postmaster. Berlin X Roads 
was established June 28, 1850, with Levi W. Salmans as post- 
master. 

OTHER SALT LICK LEGISLATION— The second act was 
amended February 20, 1805, to reduce the rent to two cents a gal- 
lon, and to place the furnace capacity of each company at from 3,000 
to 4,000 gallons. A fourth act was passed January 24, 1807, ordering 
the agent to have a map of the Scioto salt works made annually, 
showing wells, timber, etc., and directing him to lay off 100 acres 
about two and one-half miles from the center of the township into 
10-acre lots, for renting' for cultivation. "An act to amend the sev- 
eral acts regulating the public salt works was passed February 13, 
1808, which reduced the rent to one cent a gallon, gave permission 
to use aqueducts or tubes, and gave authority to condemn right 
of way for the same. This was perhaps the first time in the his- 
tory of the state that condemnation of right of way was provided 
for. As a reason for such legislation the General Assembly had 
adopted a resolution January 20, 1808, showing that salt was very 
scarce in the state. 

"An act to regulate the Scioto salt works" was passed Feb- 
ruary 19, 1810, repealing all former acts relating to them, and 



History of Jackson County. 83 

providing among other things that the agent should be appointed 
for three years,; that the limit of licenses should be January 1, 
1813; that the rent should be reduced to five mills a gallon, and 
that whoever, leasing lot for salt making, finds water, of which 
250 gallons will make one bushel of salt, to supply 40 kettles, shall 
get a lease of ten years from the discovery. This provision was 
intended to encourage boring for stronger brine. 

An act was passed January 30, 1811, requiring owners and 
occupiers of salt works and wells to enclose the same with fencing. 
This act was occasioned by the finding of a body of a dead man 
in one of the salt water vats. Murder was suspected, but not 
proven. Salt was becoming very scarce, and the next Legislature 
passed the following law February 17, 1812: 

AN ACT TO ENCOURAGE EXPERIMENTS AT THE 
SCIOTO SALT WORKS— Section 1. Be it enacted by the 
General Assembly of the state of Ohio, That the 
Governor of this state be authorized to appoint a 
suitable person or persons to perforate the rock at 
the Scioto salt works, for the purpose of obtaining salt water of 
a superior quality, by descending two hundred feet into 
said rock, unless such water in strength and quantity as is pro- 
vided for in the fourth section of the law to regulate the Scioto 
salt works, passed nineteenth of February, one thousand and eight 
hundred and ten, should sooner be obtained; and such person or 
persons so appointed shall receive for such service an adequate 
sum, not exceeding three hundred dollars, to be paid out of the 
treasury of the state, upon satisfactory evidence being made to 
the Governor of this state within eighteen months from and after 
the taking effect of this act that such service has been duly and 
faithfully performed; and it is hereby provided that the place 
where such experiment shall be made shall not interfere with the 
right of any other persons. 

Section 2. Be it further enacted, That the person appointed 
by the governor, agreeably to this act to perforate the rock at 
Scioto Salt works, shall, if successful in the experiment, have the 



84 History of Jackson County. 

right to lease and occupy the water so discovered, free from rent, 
for the term of five years, as an additional compensation, and for 
that purpose, the agent at the said salt works, shall on application, 
execute to such person, a lease for the term of five years, for the 
well containing the salt water as aforesaid, and such lot of land 
as will be necessary to carry on the manufacture of salt. This 
act shall take effect and be in force from and after the first day 
of May next. 

It appears that no experiments were made under this act, for 
on February 5, 1813, there was passed "An act to authorize exper- 
iments to be made at the Scioto Salt works." This act designated 
Abraham Claypool as an agent to contract for the perforating 
of the rock, at two places, "provided the first trial is unsuccessful," 
and to report his proceedings to the next session of the legisla- 
ture. A sum not exceeding fl,500 was appropriated for his ex- 
penses. 

Claypool did not succeed, and on February 7, 1814, an act 
was passed to encourage the manufacturing of salt at the Scioto 
Salt works. William Givens, Joseph Armstrong, John Johnston, 
Ross Nelson, John W. Sargent, John Prather and Asa Lake had 
petitioned for assistance to dig each a salt well, they to bear 
incidental expense, and in return to have exclusive use for five 
years. In this connection it may be mentioned that John Nelson 
did sink a well to the depth of 240 feet, John Wilson to the 
depth of 260 feet, and Henry Harmon to the depth of 276 feet. 
But no stronger brine was discovered. 

An act to make further experiments, passed February 15, 1815, 
directed William Givens to sink a well to the depth of 350 feet and 
to be two and a quarter inches in diameter at the bottom, for 
which he was to be paid $700. Givens found many difficulties in 
the way, and on February 24, 1816, an act was passed extending 
his time to April 1, 1816, to finish and tube his well. 

HILDPvETH'S NOTES— The number and character of the acts 
relating to the Salt works indicate their great importance in 
the eyes of the pioneer statesmen of Ohio. Hildreth's notes on the 
Scioto saline written in 1837 deserve a place here: 



History of Jackson County. 85 

Muriate of soda, or common salt, is so intimately connected 
with the economy and comforts of civilized man, that a short 
sketch of its early history (although in a manner foreign to a geo- 
logical report), and of its manufacture in Ohio, can hardly fail 
to be interesting, and worthy of our notice. As a branch of the 
geology of the State, there is no portion of it more vitally con- 
nected with the welfare of the people, than those deposits which 
furnish the materials for our salt wells. From the period of 
our first organization as a member of the Union, the "Salt Springs" 
arrested the attention, and received the fostering care of our legis- 
latures. Even before we had become a State, and were yet a ter- 
ritory, the great value of the salines had attracted the notice of 
our most sage and prudent citizens, and, in the compact made 
with congress, distinct and express stipulations were entered into 
for setting apart the most noted salt springs, and a considerable 
territory around them, for the benefit of the State; they being 
considered as too valuable to fall into the hands of individuals, 
who might create a monopoly. At the present period, when cul- 
inary salt is so cheap an article, it may seem strange to us that 
our fathers should have been so careful to preserve salines, the 
waters of which were so weak as to require six hundred gallons to 
make fifty pounds of salt. But when we remember that at the 
period referred to, before this territory became a State, the price 
of salt varied from four to six dollars a bushel, and that the 
larger portion of it was brought across the Allegheny ranges of 
mountains on the backs of pack-horses, we need not wonder at 
the high value placed upon these saline waters. At that time 
they were the only ones known in Ohio, and it was not even sus- 
pected or imagined, that at a depth of a few hundred feet, many 
portions of the valley were based on a rock whose interstices were 
filled with exhaustless quantities of brine, of such strength that 
one-twelfth part of the quantity would make a bushel of salt. This 
article so valuable and so scarce in those early days as to be looked 
upon almost as a luxury, has since been so abundant as to sell for 
half a cent a pound. The ancient and noted Scioto saline lies near 
the center of Jackson county, on an eastern branch of Salt creek, 



86 History of Jackson County. 

a tributary stream of the Scioto river. Many of the old furnaces 
and wells may be said to have been seated within the boundaries 
of the present town of Jackson. It is among the earliest known 
salt springs in the western country, and may be ranked with the 
Big Bone and Blue Licks in Kentucky, for antiquity, from the 
fact of the fossil bones of the mastodon and elephant being found 
at the depth of thirty feet, imbedded in mud and clay. The re- 
mains of several of these extinct animals were discovered in 
digging wells for salt water along the margin of the creek, con- 
sisting of tusks, grinders, ribs and vertebrae; showing this creek 
to have been a noted resort for these huge mammalia at very 
remote periods. When the white hunters and traders firsr came 
into this country, it was visited by thousands of buffalo or bisons, 
deer, bear and nearly all : the wild animals of the forest, who 
found the saline waters agreeable to their tastes, or perhaps 
needful to their health. So numerous and so constant were the 
animal visitors to these springs, that at certain seasons of the year 
the country adjacent was the most valuable and profitable hunting 
ground which the savages possessed. They were also in the prac- 
tice of making, salt here from very remote times, as has been 
ascertained from several of their white captives who had visited 
them in company with the Indians. The first attempt at its man- 
ufacture by, the whites was after the close of the Indian war, in 
the year 17,95. At that time, and for several years after, the 
stumps, of small trees cut by the squaws, and the charcoal and 
ashes of their fires where the salt water had been boiled were 
plainly to be seen. The Indian women, upon whom all the servile 
employments fell, collected the salt water by cutting holes in the 
soft sandstone in the bed of the creek, in the summer and autumn 
when the stream, was low. These were generally not more than 
a foot or two deep, and the same in width. Into these rude cavities 
the salt, water slowly collected, and was dipped out with a large 
shell into their kettles: and boiled down into salt. The hunters 
and first salt makers pursued the same course, only they sunk 
their excavations to the; depth of six or eight feet, and finally to 
twenty ,feet into.the ; sandrock, and excluded the fresh water by 



History of Jackson County. 87 

means of a "gum'' or section of a hollow tree, sunk into the cavity. 
After a few years they commenced digging wells a little higher 
up the stream, in the alluvion or bottom lands, near the creek, and 
to their surprise, found they could dig to the depth of thirty feet 
before they came to the sandrock, which a few rods below filled 
the whole bed of the stream. 

The greatest quantity of salt made at the Scioto licks, was 
from the year 180G to 1808, when there were twenty furnaces in 
operation, making on an average, from fifty to seventy bushels 
per week. During this period, it was worth $2.50 per bushel, or 
five cents a pound. These furnaces were located along the borders 
of the creek for the distance of four miles. At one time there were 
fourteen furnaces in operation near the town of Jackson. At that 
early day the roads were generally mere bridle paths through the 
woods, and nearly the whole amount of salt made was transported 
in bags on pack-horses, and distributed through the middle and 
western portions of the State. That we may understand the high 
value placed on the salines both by congress and the people of 
Ohio, it will be proper to revert to the legislative acts on this 
subject, and to know that the grant was made with the express 
stipulations that the State should never sell them, nor lease them 
for a longer period than ten years at any one time. In the year 
1803, amongst the earliest proceedings of our legislators, we find 
an act regulating the leasing and the managing of the "Public 
Salt Works." An agent was appointed to take charge of the lands, 
to lease small lots for digging wells and erecting furnaces, and to 
see that no individual or company monopolized the manufacture 
of salt. To prevent which, it was expressly enacted that no one 
person, or company, should work more than 120 kettles, nor less 
than 30. For this privilege the lessee paid a rent to the State of 
twelve cents a gallon, on the amount of capacity of his kettles, 
annually. A fine of $5 per kettle was laid on every person who 
made salt without a license. The agent himself was forbidden 
to engage in any way in the manufacture of the article. In the 
year 1804 the rent was reduced to four cents per gallon, and the 
amount limited to 4,000 gallons of capacity. In 1805 the rent was 



88 History of Jackson County. 

again reduced to two cents, and in 1810 to five mills. At this time, 
a much stronger water had been obtained on the Kenawha, by 
boring into the rock strata to the depth of one hundred feet. In 
February, 1812, the legislature appropriated $300 to defray the 
expense of boring two hundred feet, and in 1813 they appropriated 
$1,500 for the same purpose, which does not appear to have been 
expended. In 1815, the State ordered $750 to pay the expense ot 
boring to the depth of 350 feet, under the direction of William 
Givens, with a proviso that tbe water procured must be of such 
strength as to make 50 pounds of salt from 250 gallons of brine. 
It seems that Mr. Givens executed the work faithfully, and then 
added another 100 feet to the depth at his own expense, as I am 
informed by Mr. Crookham, who was amongst the earliest of the 
salt makers, and from whom much of the history of the first pro- 
ceedings in digging wells was obtained. At this depth, viz: 450 
feetj the boring ceased. A stronger water was procured, but it 
was in small quantity and did not rise to tbe top of the well; 
probably from a deficiency of carburetted hydrogen gas, which, at 
several other works, rises in great volume, and forces the water 
for many feet above the surface. Forcing pumps for raising water 
were not then in use, as they now are, at the various salines. No 
less than 15 acts were passed on the subject of the Scioto Salt 
works. 



BRIGGS' NOTES— The following statement was written by 
Caleb Briggs, of the Ohio geological survey, in the same year: 
Brine has been obtained in the Waverly standstone series, by sink- 
ing through the conglomerate at the licks in Jackson county, and 
good water obtained, but not in quantity sufficient to be profitably 
used in competition with the Kenawha salt wells in Virginia. The 
salines at Jackson early attracted the attention of the western 
pioneers, and from them alone, was obtained most of the salt used 
in the early settlement of the State. They were finally abandoned, 
in consequence of much stronger brine having been obtained in 
Virginia. These wells with the exception of those called "mud 
wells," were commenced in the superior part of the conglomerate, 



History of Jackson County. 89 

which on this account was denominated the "salt rock." They 
varied in depth from 10 to 450 feet, with no sensible improvement 
in the strength of the brine, except in the deepest, which was bored 
at the expense of the State; and in this no difference was observed 
in the saturation of the water, till the strata had been penetrated 
350 feet, when it continued to improve till the work ceased. Mr. 
George Crookham, by whom the information in regard to these 
wells was communicated, says he thinks the brine at the depth 
of 350 feet was equal in strength to that used on the Kenawha, 
but the quantity was comparatively small. The "mud wells" (re- 
ferred to above), were dug to the depth of 24 to 30 feet, in clay, 
sand and gravel, which occupy a basin-shaped cavity in the 
superior part of the "salt rock" at Jackson. The brine without 
doubt was produced by the percolation of water through the rock 
into this reservoir. The wells at Jackson in addition to the dis- 
advantage of having been commenced too low in the series, were 
situated on a stream, the waters of which run in a direction oppo- 
site to the dip, through deep valleys and ravines, which so inter- 
rupt the continuity of the strata that a considerable portion of 
the saline matter finds its way into the water courses, and flows 
off in a westerly direction. 

SURVEY OF JACKSON COUNTY— The history of the Salt 
works is so interwoven with the early history of Jackson county 
that they can not be separated. It was the presence of the salt 
boilers that attracted the first settlers into the lands adjoining 
the licks. The earliest came as squatters, but the Indians having 
ceded, by the treaty of Greenville, all their claims to southern Ohio, 
Congress began preparations for throwing the land open to settle- 
ment. Accordingly, on May 18, 1796, it enacted: That a surveyor 
general shall be appointed, whose duty it shall be to engage a 
sufficient number of skillful surveyors, as his deputies; whom he 
shall cause, without delay, to survey and mark the unascertained 
outlines of the lands lying northwest of the river Ohio, and above 
the mouth of the river Kentucky, in which the titles of the Indian 
tribes have been extinguished, and to divide the same in the man- 
ner herein after directed. Two years elapsed before the surveyors 



90 History of Jackson County. 

began their work in Jackson county. When they entered the dis- 
trict between the Ohio company and the Scioto river, they found 
it necessary, according to the statement of Whittlesey, to run a 
correctional meridian, because of the excess in the sections abut- 
ting on the west line of the company at range fifteen. The cor- 
rection was made by establishing a true meridian between ranges 
seventeen and eighteen, with sections of an exact mile square. Be- 
tween the Ohio river and Hamden, in Vinton county, the correction 
north and south, amounted to a mile. The errors from the 
variation of the needle were such that quarter sections abutting 
on the true meridian oh the east were nearly as large as full sec- 
tions on the west. Three townships, Milton, Bloomfield and Madi- 
son are in rage seventeen and east of this true meridian. This ex- 
plains the jogging of the sections along this line, a circumstance 
that has puzzled many. It may be mentioned here as a coincidence 
that Oak Hill, Berlin and Wellston are located on this meridian. 
The first surveying in Jackson county was done in May, 1798, under 
the direction of Elias Langdon. During this month, township six 
of range eighteen, now known as Franklin, township seven in 
range nineteen, now included in Liberty, and that part of township 
five, range twenty, now included in Scioto, were surveyed. The 
next month Levi Whipple surveyed township nine, range seven- 
teen, now included in Milton township, and in July following he 
surveyed township seven, range seventeen, which is now a part of 
Madison. Elias Langdon returned to the county in April, 1799, 
and surveyed Hamilton township. The next surveying was done in 
August, 1799, by Thomas Worthington, assisted by J. B. Finley, 
who afterward became a noted Methodist divine. They surveyed 
township eight, range eighteen, now known as Washington, and 
that part of township seven, range twenty, now included in Jack- 
son township. Worthington was a native of Virginia who settled 
in Chillicothe in 1798. He took an active interest in politics from 
the first, and in 1803 he was elected the first United States senator 
from Ohio, serving until 1807. He was elected a second time to the 
same office in 1810, but resigned in 1814 to accept the governorship, 
which office he filled for four years. Few men of today would be 



History of Jackson County. 91 

willing to make this exchange, but the service of the State was 
considered the most honorable in those early days. Worthington 
died in 1827. There was no surveying done in 1S00, and the next 
work done was in March, 1801, by Jesse Spencer, who surveyed 
township eight, range nineteen, now included in Jackson township. 
Jefferson township was surveyed in June, 1801, by John G. Macon. 
He surveyed that part of township six, range seventeen, included 
in Madison in the same year. Bloomfield was surveyed in October, 
1801, by Benjamin F. Stone. The same person surveyed that part 
of township ten, range seventeen, now included in Milton, in the 
following November. Elias Langdon surveyed township six, range 
nineteen, now included in Scioto, and township six, range twenty, 
included in Liberty, in June, 1801. He completed the survey of 
the county in December, 1801, with the survey of Lick township. 
The law of 1T9G provided that the lands now included in Jackson 
county should be offered for sale at the Pittsburg land office, but 
there is no record that any land was entered until after the Chilli- 
cothe land office was established. 

ROSS COUNTY— The licks remained a part of Washington 
county for the first ten years after the founding of Marietta. In 
the summer of 1796, Colonel Nathaniel Massie laid out the town 
of Chillicothe, and the population increased so rapidly that Gov- 
ernor St. Clair established the new county of Ross. This occurred 
on August 20, 1798. Nearly all the territory now included in 
Jackson county was placed for the time in Ross. When Scioto 
county was organized, May 1, 1803, a portion of it was cut off and 
placed in the new county. The part remaining in Ross was erected 
into a separate township. 

LICK TOWNSHIP — The newly organized territory was named 
Lick township, and it held its first election in April, 1809. Follow- 
ing is the roster of officers elected: Trustees, Roger Seldon, David 
Mitchell and Robert Patrick; treasurer, Levi Patrick; clerk, John 
Brander; lister, Samuel Niblack; overseers of the poor, John James 
and Oluey Hawkins; constables, Samuel Niblack and Phillip 
Strother; justices of the peace, David Mitchell and William 



"92 History ok Jackson County. 



Niblack. Hawkins refused to serve as overseer of the poor and 
was fined. The vacancy was filled by the appointment of Stephen 
Radcliff, sr. Olney Hawkins served as grand juror at Chillicothe 
in 1809, and Robert Patrick and William Niblack as petit jurors. 
The Niblacks seem to have been among the most influential fam- 
ilies at the works at that time. 



THE WAR OF 1812— When the second war with England began 
in 1812, the salt boilers proved themselves true Americans Gen- 
eral Tupper, of Gallia county, came to the works looking for vol- 
unteers, and almost the entire male population enlisted under him. 
The following account of his campaign is from Atwater's history: 
In July, 1812, General Edward W. Tupper, of Gallia county, had 
raised about one thousand men for six months duty. They were 
mostly volunteers and infantry, but they were accompanied by 
Womeldorfs troop of cavalry, of Gallia county. This force was 
mostly raised in what are now Gallia, Lawrence and Jackson coun- 
ties. They marched under the orders of General Winchester 
through Chillicothe and Urbana and on to the Maumee river. 
Having reached the Maumee in August, we believe, of that year, 
an Indian or two had been discovered about their camp. General 
Winchester ordered Tupper to follow the enemy and discover his 
camp, if one was near. For this purpose Tupper ordered out a 
small party to reconnoitre the country. This party pursued the 
Indians some six miles or more, and returned without finding the 
enemy. Winchester was offended, and ordered Tupper to send out 
a larger force, but the troops with their half-starved horses and 
without a sufficiency of ammunition, refused to go. Winchester, in 
a rage, ordered Tupper himself to go with all his mounted men. 
Obeying this order, as he was just about to march, a Kentucky 
officer came to him and offered to join the party in any situation 
which Tupper should assign him. Tupper appointed him his aide, 
but soon afterwards, taking Tupper aside, he showed him Winches- 
ter's orders, appointing this Kentuckian to command the recon- 
noitering party. This conduct so irritated Tupper and his troops 
that they applied to the commander-in-chief to be allowed to serve 



History of Jackson County. 93- 

under him. This was some time afterwards, as soon as General 
Harrison had assumed the command of all the northwestern army. 
Tupper moved down the Maumee near to the lower end of the 
rapids, where they usually crossed at a fording place. The Indians 
in large numbers showed themselves on the side of the river oppo- 
site Tupper' s camp. He attempted to cross the river with his 
troops in the night. The current was rapid, his horses and men 
were feeble, being half starved, and the rocky bottom was slippery. 
The current swept away some of the horses and infantry into the 
deep water. Seeing this, disheartened those who were left behind 
on the eastern bank of the river, so that only a small number of men 
crossed over the Maumee. Those who had crossed had wetted their 
ammunition, and finally all returned back into their camp before 
day. The Indians were hovering about the camp and a few were 
killed on both sides. Finally, all the British Indians along the 
river, anywhere near by, collected all their forces, and attacked 
Tupper and his troops on all sides. The enemy had from one 
thousand to twelve hundred men, whereas, from sickness and 
various casualties, our force amounted to only about eight hundred 
men, and they were badly supplied with provisions and ammuni- 
tion. However, they fought bravely, drove off the enemy, and 
killed and wounded a large number of his warriors. Their own 
loss was trifling, losing only twenty or thirty in all in the action. 
The enemy acknowledged the loss of upwards of fifty killed, one 
hundred and fifty wounded. It is highly probable that their loss 
was at least three hundred. Our troops were all sharpshooters, 
and real backwoodsmen, who were well accustomed to the use of 
the rifle in the woods, where they dwelt when at home. The fate 
of the enemy would have been much more disastrous had not our 
new recruits, half starved as they were, while pursuing the flying 
enemy, fallen in with a drove of fat hogs in a cornfield. Leaving 
the pursuit of the enemy, they killed many hogs until attacked by 
the Indians, and losing four men killed, they turned on the enem^ 
and drove him over the river. The British returned to Detroit and 
our troops returned to Fort McArthur. 



94 History of Jackson County. 

CAMP EOCK — In this connection mention should be made of 
the sandstone boulder standing by the roadside near the old Stin- 
son tavern on Salt creek, in Jackson township, which is known 
as the ''camp rock." I visited this rock in 1895 and wrote the fol- 
lowing notes at the time.: 

This is an immense boulder that broke off from the hill some 
centuries ago and rolled down to the creek, lodging just on the 
rocky bank. It is now about fifty feet long, fifteen feet thick and 
twenty feet in height. It was longer until a year or two ago, when 
a blast was taken out of its east end to secure stone for the abut- 
ments of a bridge some half a mile above. The road passes between 
the rock and the hill and always has done so. It has received the 
name Camp Rock from the words cut deep in the surface facing 
the road. Most prominent is the following legend: 

CAMP OP 

1812. 

General Tupper and his army are supposed to have camped one 
night near this rock. The creek is fordable here, and a spring used 
to bubble forth nearby. Old citizens claim that there were many 
names of soldiers carved in the rock, but they have now disap- 
peared. 

CAPTAIN STRONG'S COMPANY— Another band of salt 
boilers marched into the Indian country in 1813, with the command 
of Major Ben Daniels. This expedition was for the relief of Fort 
Meigs, and the men served from July 29 to August 19. The salt 
boilers were organized as a company with the following roster: 
Captain Jared Strong, First Lieutenant John Gillaspie, Ensign 
William Howe, Sergeants William Given, John Lake, David 
Mitchell, Phillip Strother; Corporals Salmon Goodenough, Alexan- 
der Hill, Joseph Lake, William Higginbotham; Drummer Harris 
Penny, Fifer James Markey, Privates William Hewitt, Thomas M. 
Caretall, Jesse Watson, Joseph Robbing, William Ellerton, James 
Phillips, Samuel Aldridge, John Sergeant, Samuel Bunn. Stephen 



History of Jackson County. 95 

Bailey, Henry Rout, Joseph Clemens, Joseph Schellenger, John Ogg, 
James Higginbotham, William Black. Some of the most promi- 
nent men at the works were in this company. The captain was 
afterward the first representative of the county. Given will be 
spoken of at length later. Mitchell, Howe, Bunn, the Lakes and 
Schellenger have many descendants in the county. Hewitt was the 
noted hermit already spoken of. 



JACKSON COUNTY ERECTED.— The organization of the 
Lick township government gave the inhabitants at the works a feel- 
ing of importance. Quite a village had sprung up on the slope facing 
Salt creek, east of the site of the court house, and it had exchanged 
the name of Purgatory for Poplar Row. The influx of settlers into 
the surrounding territory caused the inhabitants of Poplar Row 
to indulge the fond hope that its townhouse would ere long give 
way to a court house, the seat of justice of a new county. The 
matter was talked of as early as 1810. Settlers were now rapidly 
entering land in that part of Gallia county bordering on Lick town- 
ship. The first of whom there is record, was Lewis Adkins, who 
entered his land in 1810. Jeremiah Roach became his neighbor in 
1811, and Hugh Poor settled farther north in what is now Bloom- 
field township in the same year. John Smith, Gabriel McNeaf, 
Benjamin, Amos and Nimrod Arthur, George Burris and perhaps 
others entered land in the country east or south of the licks in 1812. 
Samuel McClure entered land in 1813, and John Stephenson, Moses 
Hale and others followed in 1S14. These settlers had a number of 
squatters for neighbors, whom they did not like, on account of their 
thieving propensities. Their peace was disturbed too frequently 
also by the lawless element among the salt boilers at the licks. 
This state of affairs led them to think favorably of the propositon 
to erect a new county, with a court house at the Salt works. This 
was what the leaders at the licks wished for, and the new county 
movement at once assumed respectable proportions. A delegation 
was sent to Chillicothe, the capital of the State, in the winter of 
1815, to bring the matter before the legislature. The petition was 
placed in the hands of Senator Robert Lucas, and the following 



96 History of Jackson County. 

entry appears in the senate journal for December 22, 1815: Robert 
Lucas, senator from Gallia and Scioto counties, presented a petition 
of certain inhabitants of Ross, Gallia, Scioto and Athens counties- 
praying that a new county may be set off in such a manner that 
the seat of justice may be established at the Scioto Salt works. 
The petition was referred to a committee of three, of whom Lucas 
was made chairman, to report thereon by bill or otherwise. The 
committee saw its way clear to report favorably, and a bill to 
erect the county of Jackson was introduced by Senator Lucas on 
Tuesday, December 26, 1815, and read the first time. It was read 
the second time December 27, and passed the senate December 29. 
It was introduced in the house the same day, read the second time 
December 30, and passed January 10, 1816. It was signed up Jan- 
uary 12, 1816, and became a law. Following is a copy of it: 

AN ACT TO ERECT THE COUNTY OF JACKSON. 

Section 1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of the State 
of Ohio, That all that part of the counties of Scioto, Gallia y 
Athens and Ross, included within the following limits, to- wit: 
Beginning at the northwest corner of township number ten, range 
number seventeen, and running thence east to the northeast corner 
of said township; thence south to the southeast corner of township 
number eight in said range; thence west to the southwest corner of 
section number thirty-five in said township; thence south to the 
southeast corner of section number thirty-four, in township number 
seven in said range; thence west to the southwest corner of said 
township; thence south to the southeast corner of township number 
five, in range number eighteen; thence west to the southwest corner 
of section number thirty-three in township number five, in range 
number nineteen; thence north to the northwest corner of section 
number four in said township ; thence west to the southeast corner 
of Pike county; thence with Pike county line to the northeast 
corner of said county; thence north to the northwest corner of 
township number eight, in range number nineteen; thence east to- 
the range line between the seventeenth and eighteenth ranges -„ 



History of Jackson County. 97 



thence north with the same to the place of beginning, shall be a 
separate and distinct county by the name of Jackson. 

Section 2. Be it further enacted, That all suits or actions, 
whether of a civil or criminal nature, which shall be pending, and 
all crimes which shall have been committed within said counties of 
Scioto, Gallia, Athens and Ross, previous to the organization of the 
said county of Jackson, shall be prosecuted to final judgment and 
execution within the counties in which such suits shall be pending, 
or such crimes shall have been committed, in the same manner they 
would have been, if no division had taken place; and the sheriff, 
coroner and constables of the counties of Scioto, Gallia, Athens 
and Ross shall execute, within such parts of the county of Jackson, 
as belonged to their respective counties previous to the taking 
effect of this act, such process as shall be necessary to carry in 
effect such suits, prosecutions and judgments; and the collectors 
of taxes for the counties of Scioto, Gallia, Athens and. Ross shall 
collect all such taxes as shall have been levied and imposed within 
such parts of the county of Jackson as belonged to their respective 
counties previous to the taking effect of this act. 

Section 3. Be it further enacted, That all justices of the peace 
and constables, within those parts of the counties of Scito, Gallia, 
Athens and Ross, which by this act are erected into a new county, 
shall continue to exercise the duties of their offices until their term 
of service expires in the same manner as if no division of said 
counties had taken place. 

Section 4. Be it further enacted, That on the first Monday 
in April next, the legal voters residing within said county of Jack- 
son, shall assemble in their respective townships at the usual place 
of holding township elections, and elect their several county 
officers, who shall hold their offices until the next annual election; 
provided that where any township shall be divided in consequence 
of establishing the county <>f Jackson, in such manner that the 
place of holding township elections, shall fall within the counties 
of Scioto, Gallia, Athens or Ross, then and in that case, the electors 



98 History of Jackson County. 

of such fractional townships shall elect in the next adjoining town- 
ship or townships in said county of Jackson. 

Section 5. And be it further enacted, That the courts of said 
county of Jackson, shall be holden at the house of William Givens, 
within the reserved township, at the Scioto Salt works, until the 
permanent seat of justice for said county shall be established. 
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after the first 
day of March next. 

FIRST COMMISSIONERS— The legislature appointed Eman- 
uel Traxler, John Stephenson and John Brown as Commissioners 
to organize the new county. Traxler was a German by descent ana 
a Pennsylvanian by birth. When he arrived at manhood's estate 
he came west. His first stop was on the bank of the Ohio at the 
mouth of the Scioto. There he determined to make his home, and 
his cabin was the first erected by white men on the site of Ports- 
mouth. This was in the early part of the year 1796. Other settlers 
came, but Traxler continued to be the leading citizen in the com- 
munity, and in 1798 Governor St. Clair appointed him as the first 
justice of the peace in the settlement. Traxler neglected one im- 
portant matter, however, and had to pay the penalty. In the year 
1801, he discovered that Henry Massie had secured the patent from 
the government for the land on which his cabin and improvements 
stood, and he was dispossessed. He moved inland, and there built 
the first watermill in Scioto county. In 1813 he came to the Scioto 
salt works, and sunk a salt well, but it proved a duster. Later he 
settled on a farm in Franklin township, on Fourmile, and in 1816 
he built the first watermill on that creek. John Stephenson was a 
native of South Carolina. After his marriage he moved to Cabell 
county, Virginia, and in 1814 he entered land in what is now 
Bloomfield township, in this county. He was the father of a large 
family, and his descendants in the county are more numerous than 
any other family. His son James became Sheriff of the county a 
few years after its organization, and Associate Judge in 1827. 
His son John held a number of offices of honor and trust, and died 



History of Jackson County. 99 

while Recorder of the county. His grandson, John S. Stephenson, 
held the office of Commissioner for several terms. The son of the 
latter, and his great grandson, was Commissioner of Pike 
county, while another great grandson, Hiram Stephenson, was 
Treasurer of Jackson county for four years. The act erecting the 
county went into effect March 1, 1816, and on that day these three 
Commissioners met at the house of William Givens, the temporary 
seat of justice, to organize the new county. The object of the 
meeting was to call an election for the purpose of choosing county 
officers to serve until the fall election. For convenience at this 
election, they divided the county into five townships, named as 
follows: Bloomfield, Franklin, Lick, Madison and Milton. They 
also appointed judges and clerks for each voting precinct. The 
record of this meeting is not on file at the Court House, and it has 
been either destroyed, or purloined by some relic hunter of the 
early days. 

THE FIRST ELECTION— Jackson county held its first elec- 
tion Monday, April 1, 1816, for the purpose of electing a Sheriff, 
Coroner and three Commissioners. The names of all the men that 
voted at this election have been deemed worthy of preservation 
for the benefit of posterity. The old poll books, which had been 
supposed lost for eighty years, were found by the writer in going 
through old papers in the Court House attic. The names are 
given by townships. 

BLOOMFIELD— The election in this township was held at the 
house of Judge Hugh Poor, which stood in a central location. The 
officers were Samuel McClnre, Moses Gillespie and Theophilus 
Blake, Judges, and Robert G. Hanna and Allen Rice, Clerks. 
Thirty-seven electors cast their ballots, the name of Reuben Long 
being the first registered. The others were: Theophilus Blake, 
Homy Humphreys, John Hale, James Hale, William Keeton, 
Morris Humphreys, Ellis Long, Benjamin Long, Azariah Jenkins, 
Joshua Stephenson, Thomas Barton, John R. Corn, John Scurlock, 
John Uickerson, Sharp Barton, George Campbell, Hugh Poor, Hugh 



100 History of Jackson County. 

Scurlock, Moses Hale, Arthur Callison, Christopher Long, Ben- 
jamin Hale, Robert Irwin, Moses Gillespie, David Stoker, Nimrod 
Arthur, Allen Rice, Michael Stoker, James Lackey, Martin Poor, 
John Stephenson, Sr., Samuel McClure, Andrew Donnally, John 
Stephenson, Jr., Robert G. Hanna and Alexander Poor. There was 
considerable excitement at this voting place, occasioned by a num- 
ber of free fights, growing out of a feud between members of the 
Long and Hale families. The origin of the trouble is unknown, but 
at some time in the day Joel Long and John Hale started the ball 
rolling by agreeing to "box and fight each other at fisticuffs." The 
well known code of the backwoods was no doubt followed to the let- 
ter in this fistic duel, but the result did not give satisfaction. Blood 
was up, and some words led Christopher Long to assault Moses 
Hale, and, according to the indictment, did "strike, beat, wound 
and illtreat, to the great damage of the said Moses Hale." John R. 
Corn interferred in behalf of the latter, and Long promptly gave 
him a dose of the same medicine. At this point James Lackey got 
mixed up in the affair, and Benjamin Long then took a hand and 
assaulted him. These contests furnished some of the grist for the 
first term of court in the following August, John Hale and Joel 
Long being fined |12 each, and Christopher Long $6 under each 
indictment. Benjamin Long's affair with Lackey was not adjusted 
until the November term, when Long plead guilty and was fined 
$10 and the costs. 

FRANKLIN — The officers in this township were Judges John 
Rook, John Farney and Abraham Baker, and Clerks Isaac Baker 
and William Stephenson. Teter Null was the first of the sixty-one 
electors to cast his vote. The others were: Jacob Wiskon, Peter 
McCain, Basil Johnson, John Wallace, Lewis Howard, John Clem- 
mons, Isaiah Sheward, Jesse Martin, Peter Seel, Samuel Stephen- 
son, Isaac Kilcoderic, Hugh Malin, Nathan Kirby, John Graham, 
John Peters, William Lyons, Eli Dixon, Thomas Crabtree, James 
Graham, James Higginbotham, Jonathan R, Nelson, John Dixon, 
Abraham Dixon, Thomas Craig, Ralph Nelson, James Johnson r 
John Martin, John Duncan, Ross Nelson, Emanuel Traxler, Richard 



History of Jackson County. 101 

Johnson, William Martin, Hugh Gilliland, John Burnsides, Alex- 
ander Wilson, Alexander Anderson, Nathan Dixon, John George, 
William Holland, Francis Holland, Nottingham Mercer, Samuel 
Craig, Levi Mercer, John Traxler, Benjamin Ellison, Samuel Trax 
ler, Jonathan Traxler, Nathan Sheward, Thomas Scott, John Far 
in y, John Rook, Abraham Baker, John Webb, James Martin, Wil- 
liam Stephenson, Isaac Baker, Joseph Graham, Isaac Hartley, 
James Pennelton, Henry Dixon. An election to choose Justices 
was held the same day, but by a different set of officers. They 
were Teter Null, Samuel Traxler and Hugh Gilliland, Judges, and 
John Martin and Francis Holland, Clerks. Sixty votes were cast, 
of which John George had 32, Thomas Scott 29, Isaac Baker 28, 
Nottingham Mercer 26; George and Scott were winners. 

LICK — The officers were James Weeks, John Ogg and Asa 
Lake, Judges, and Joseph W. Ross and George L. Crookham, 
Clerks. The first of the fifty-nine voters was Major John James, 
grandfather of ex- Warden C. C. James. The others were: Abraham 
Dehaven, William White, Horam Denny, JohnW. Sargeant, Joseph 
Clemmens, Philip Stother, Samuel Bunn, John Gillaspie, Asa Lake, 
James Weeks, George Bowen, Jacob Culp, Matthew Rider, Absa- 
lom Wells, Hugh Sharp, Valentine Pancake, William Givens, John 
Stockham, Joseph Armstrong, James Adams, John Brander, 
George L. Crookham, David Mitchell, Jacob Schellenger, William 
Brown, Salmon Goodenough, John Crago, John Armstrong, John 
Ogg, John O. Kelly, John Higginbotham, Charles Higginbotham, 
David Watson, Samuel A. Hall, John Henry Grant, Peter Mar- 
shall, Daniel Comber, John Praether, John Stewart, Henry Routt, 
Joseph W. Ross, Francis O'Ray, John Lake, John McGhee, Jared 
Strong, Daniel Harris, Daniel Clark, Samuel Aldridge, A. J. Hig- 
gins, Isaac Newell, Jesse Watson, Alexander Hill, Abraham Welch, 
Elk Bramlett, William Higginbotham, William Howe, John Allen, 
William Hewitt. 

It will be noticed that Franklin had two more electors than 
Lick. Lick at that time included a tract of six miles square, 
belonging to the State Government, and all its inhabitants were 



102 History of Jackson County. 

lessees. Many of them had purchased lands in Franklin in order 
to be freeholders, and claimed their residence there. This is the 
only explanation that can be offered for the action of so many 
Lick men voting in Franklin. 

MADISON — The election of this township was held at the 
house of Jacob Moler, which stood near the site of Madison Fur- 
nace. The officers were: Judges, Jacob Moler, William H. C. Jen- 
kins and John Atkinson and Clerks, John Horton and Jeremiah 
Callahan. 

Twenty-one electors participated, Samuel Radabaugh being 
the first to vote. The others were: George Radabaugh, John Cal- 
lahan, Sr., Henry Radabaugh, William Comer, Robert Taylor, Ben- 
jamin Arthur, Lewis Adkins, Sr., Joel Arthur, Amos Arthur, John 
Horton, Jacob Moler, JohnAtkinson, William H. C. Jenkins, Elijah 
Delano, John Shoemaker, Joseph Pauley, Jeremiah Callahan, Jere- 
miah Roach, Lewis Adkins, Jr., Jesse Radabaugh. 

The returns were taken to Jackson by Jacob Moler. This 
gentleman was for years the leading citizen of Madison, and the 
family of Aaron McLaughlin are connected with him. William 
H. C. Jenkins was another of the leading men. Cyrus Jenkins of 
Bloomfield is one of his sons. The Radabaughs are all gone from 
Madison, but William, of that name, is living in the old Arthur 
schoolhouse, which stands on ground formerly a part of Madison. 
Some of the descendants of Jeremiah Roach still live in the town- 
ship, and a namesake lives in Wellston. John Horton's descend- 
ants are numerous in Jefferson. 

, MILTON— The officers were George Martin, John Baccus and 
George Burris, Judges, and Joshua Scurlock and John Crouch, 
Clerks. There were forty-two votes cast, the first by Austin Palmer, 
The others were cast by Andrew Frasure, Peleg Potter, Charles 
Ratcliff, Joseph Crouch, John Phillips, Thomas Phillips, William 
Crow, John Baccus, George Martin, George Burris, Patrick Shearer, 
Joshua Scurlock, John Crouch, James Stephenson, William Burris,. 
Reuben Rickabaugh, Drury Bondurant, William Delay, William 



History of Jackson County. 103 

Bass, Jonathan Delay, William Craig, Cuthbert Vinson, John 
Snuke, Kobert Howard, James Dempsey, Joshua Rhodes, John 
Kite, Robert Ward, Jeremiah Brown, Zephaniah Brown, David 
Paine, Charles Bobbins, Adam Althar, Daniel Hollinshead, John 
Hollinshead, John Delay, Joseph Howard, Jacob Delay, Joseph 
Crouch, Jr., John Brown and Nathan Brown. The majority, if not 
all of these men had been citizens of Athens county. Several of 
them have descendants living in the township and in other parts of 
this county. Rev. Jacob Delay was perhaps the most widely known 
The peculiar spelling throughout is that of the poll book. 

COUNTING THE VOTES— The returns were all taken to 
Poplar Row and placed in charge of Judge William Givens. Hugh 
Poor, David Paine and William Givens had been commissioned 
by Governor Thomas Worthington, who, it will be remembered, 
was one of the men that had surveyed Jackson county, as Associate 
Judges for the new county. Their first meeting, of which there is 
record, was held at Givens' house on April 6, 1816, to open the 
election returns and declare the result. The house of Givens stood 
a little west of the site of Fulton Furnace. This has been disputed, 
but I make the statement on the authority of James H. Darling 
and A. F. McCarley. The house was built of logs, but was better 
than the ordinary log house of the early days, in that it had two 
stories. This accounts for its selection as the temporary seat of 
justice. The lower floor consisted of two rooms, while the upper 
story consisted of one large room, unceiled. All the Judges being 
present, the votes were counted. Following is the official abstract: 

Sheriff — Abraham Welch 119, John Lake 93, Samuel Traxler 
1; Welch declared elected. 

Commissioner — John Stephenson 114, Emanuel Traxler 108, 
John Brown 100, Samuel McClure 94, Francis Holland 36, Reuben 
Long 84, Jesse Watson 21, John Delay 46; Stephenson, Traxler and 
Brown were the winners. 

Coroner — John Gillaspie 84, William Howe 54, Samuel A. Hall 
39, David Mitchell 4, Jacob Delay 2; Gillaspie won. 

The vote by townships was as follows: Bloomfield 37, Frank- 



104 History of Jackson County. 

lin 61, Lick 59, Madison 21, Milton 42; total 220. It is probable 
that almost the entire vote in the county was cast at this election. 
The total vote cast at the presidential election in 1896, eighty, 
years afterward, amounted to 8,362. This shows a healthy growth. 
The record of this meeting of the Associate Judges has been 
lostj but it is evident that the new officials appeared before the 
court, gave bond and took the oath of office. The Commissioners 
appointed by the Legislature were elected by the people for the 
short term until the Fall election. Welch, the Sheriff-elect, had 
been at the salt works for some eight years. He was a tavern 
keeper, and his acquaintances were so numerous that he won his 
election easily over a popular opponent. Welch's record was not 
what it might have been, however, and certain passages in it will 
be referred to later. 

And now a word about Judge Givens, the wealthiest and most 
influential man in the county at that time. The following sketch 
was written after the death of his son, of the same name, and may 
contain a few repetitions: 

A NOTED SALT BOILER— The following special, which ap- 
peared in a Cincinnati paper Sunday morning, was sent from 
Buena Vista, in Scioto county, July 30, 1898: "William Givens, a 
pioneer farmer of Southern Ohio, died on his farm near here this 
morning. He would have been 87 years old tomorrow, and had 
lived all his life on the farm on which he died." The death of Mr. 
Givens deserves more than a passing notice, for he was the oldest 
son of Judge William Givens, the most noted salt boiler in the 
early history of Jackson county. He was really 87 years old on 
the day of his death, for he was born July 31, 1811, at Poplar Row, 
the village of the salt boilers. William Givens, Sr., was born in 
Pennsylvania in 1782. After his father's death his mother removed 
with her family to Kentucky. William was then ten years old. In 
early manhood he came to Ohio and settled in Scioto county. Later 
he came to the Scioto salt works, then located in Ross county, but 
now included within the limits of Jackson. He was married 
October 23, 1810, to Rachel, daughter of William and Susan (Paine) 



Histokyof Jackson County. 105 



Stockham, and went to housekeeping on Poplar Row. There Wil- 
liam, the oldest of eleven children, was born as stated. Mr. Givens 
prospered at the salt works, and to maintain his standing in the 
community he erected a two-story log mansion, which was for years 
the finest residence in all Jackson county. This house stood near 
the site of Fulton Furnace. When Jackson county was erected in 
181G, this house was designated as the first seat of justice in Jack- 
son county, Section 5 of the law reading as follows: That the 
courts of said county of Jackson shall be holden at the house of 
William Givens, within the reserved township, at the Scioto salt 
works, until the permanent seat of justice for said county shall 
be established— A large oak tree stood in front of the house, and 
an interesting and authenticated tradition is connected therewith. 
The first term of court for Jackson county convened August 12, 
1816. The entire male population of the county, salt boilers, 
planters, hunters, trappers, hermits and squatters, were in attend- 
ance. The house was too small to hold the crowd. The weather 
being warm, Judge John Thompson ordered Sheriff Abraham 
Welch to open court under the spreading branches of this primeval 
white oak, and the sessions of the first day were held there. When 
the grand jury was organized, the Court Constables led it away 
some distance to another tree, where it carried on its deliberations, 
the crowd being kept out of hearing by the Constables. It was a 
memorable day in the history of the new county. Under the old 
Constitution, three Associate Judges sat on the bench with the 
Presiding Judge, and William Givens, whose activity, energy and 
influence had been largely instrumental in securing the organiza- 
tion of Jackson county, was elected by the Ohio Legislature on 
February 24, 1816, as one of the first three Associate Judges of this 
county. The others were Bon. David Paine, father-in-law in later 
years of Hon. H. S. Bundy and Hon. Hugh Poore, founder of the 
Poore family in this county. Givens was thus head and judge in 
his own house, much like the Patriarchs of old. In 1818 he was 
honored by his fellow-citizens with an election to the Legislature, 
but he served only one term. In 1823 he was again elected Asso- 
ciate Judge, and served until 1826, when he left the county, and 



106 History of Jackson County. 

moved to Nile township, in Scioto county. He lived there 37 years,, 
and died June 26, 1863, aged 80 years, 9 months and 8 days. His 
wife survived until February 18, 1865, dying at the age of 70 years. 
9 months and 15 days. Mr. Givens was a Whig in politics, and a 
member of the M. E. Church. It was as a manufacturer of salt 
that he first acquired prominence in this county, and he was closely 
identified with most of the later salt works legislation. It appears 
that the expense of salt boiling at the Scioto licks was always- 
heavy, and about 1812 it became so excessive that the Legislature 
appropriated $300 to pay for boring 200 feet, in hopes of finding 
stronger brine. No one undertook this work, and the Legislature 
found it necessary to increase the appropriation. Accordingly, 
$1,500 was appropriated February 5, 1813,and Abraham Claypool 
was authorized to sink two wells to a depth of 200 feet. This 
money does not seem to have been spent, and William Givens, 
Joseph Armstrong, John Johnson, Ross Nelson, John W. Sargent,. 
John Prather and Asa Lake petitioned for assistance to dig a salt 
well each, they to bear incidental expenses, and to have exclusive 
use of wells for five years. In 1815 the Legislature appropriated 
$700 to pay William Givens for sinking a well 350 feet, to be two- 
and one-quarter inches in diameter at the bottom. It appears that 
Givens proceed v.d to sink the well, and by December 23, 1815, he 
had reached a depth of 275 feet, and was paid $375. On February 
24, 1810, he was giYraa until April 1, 1816, to finish and tube the 
well. There is no record that Givens was paid any more money by 
the State, but he continued the work on the well until he reached 
the depth of 450 feet. The last 175 feet were sunk at his own ex- 
pense. Hildreth says that Givens procured a stronger water, but 
it was in small quantity, and did not rise to the top of the well r 
probably from a deficiency of carburetted hydrogen gas, which at 
several other works, rises in great volume, and forces the water 
for many feet above the surface. Givens' experiment demonstrated 
that a brine strong enough to compete with that of other salines 
could not be secured at Jackson, and the legislature passed a 
resolution January 3, 1818, favoring the sale of the Scioto Salt 
reserve. Givens'* salt well is still open. It is a few hundred feet 



History of Jackson County. 107 



above the Baler building, and the water stands the year round 
in the well pipe. Givens' furnace stood on the knoll near by to 
the south, and its remains may be seen whenever the ground is 
ploughed. The small creek emptying into Salt creek, a few hundred 
feet below, bears the name Givens' run. Thus the name survives 
here, although the family has been forgotten. William Givens, 
jr., was 15 years old when the family left the county. The other 
children were Allen, David, James H., Thomas J., John, Samuel, 
George, Cynthia, Jane and Mary. The descendants of the family 
are scattered in many states. 

COMMISSIONERS' PROCEEDINGS— The record of the first 
meeting of the Commissioners of Jackson county has been lost. At 
the second meeting held, Dr. Nathaniel W. Andrews was ap- 
pointed clerk of the board, and he kept a very faithful record,, 
although many acts of the board were not recorded, for reasons 
not now known. Some of the entries were quaintly worded, and 
others refer to conditions which have long ago ceased to exist. 
The following extracts can not fail to interest: 

April 25, 1816 — Be it remembered that at a special meeting of 
the honorable commissioners of Jackson county, held in the house 
of Jared Strong in Lick township, present Emanuel Traxler, John 
Stephenson and John Brown; ordered that Nathaniel W. Andrews 
be appointed clerk to this body, he having been qualified accord- 
ing to law. 

A petition was handed in by the hands of Daniel Harris pray- 
ing for a new township; deferred until the next meeting. 

Orders were issued to the listers of Lick township, Milton 
township and Franklin to attach the fractional parts adjoining 
the different townships to each of them. 

The meeting adjourned until the first Monday of June next. 

June 3, 1816— Proceedings of the honorable Board of Commis- 
sioners at their 'annual meeting on the first Monday of June, 1816 r 
held at the house of Nathaniel W. Andrews in Lick township. 



108 History of Jackson County. 

present John Stephenson, Emanuel Traxler and John Brown. For 
want of the statute law, adjourned until tomorrow at 9 o'clock. 

June 4, 1816 — According to yesterday's adjournment the Com- 
missioners met, present John Stephenson, Emanuel Traxler and 
John Brown. 

Abraham Welch was appointed collector to this county, he 
having given bond and security according to law. 

John James was also appointed treasurer to this county, he 
having given bond and security according to law. 

Ordered that the price of license for retailing merchandise 
shall be Fifteen Dollars per annum, also that the price of tavern 
license throughout this county shall be Six Dollars per annum. 

Nathaniel W. Andrews was appointed keeper of the county 
seal and sworn into office according to law. 

This meeting is adjourned until the first of July next by order 
of Commissioners, this 4th day of June, 181G. 

July 1, 1816 — Pursuant to the adjournment June 4, the hon- 
orable Board of Commissioners this day met, July 1, 1816, present 
John Stephenson, John Brown and Emanuel Traxler. 

Jackson — It is ordered that in compliance with the prayer of 
the inhabitants of the following boundaries, that they shall be 
incorporated in a new township and be called Jackson; beginning 
at the northwest corner of this county and running east to the 
seventeenth range line; thence south along the same line to the 
corner between the Seventh and Eighth townships; thence west 
to the southwest corner of the Eighth township in the Eighteenth 
range; thence south one mile to the corner between section Nos, 
1 and 12 in the Seventh township in the Nineteenth range; thence 
west along the section lines to the line between Nineteen and 
Twenty; thence north along the same line to the place of beginning. 

Clinton — It is also ordered that in compliance with the prayer 
of the inhabitants of Township No. 10 in range Seventeen, that the 
said township be incorporated according to its original surveyed 
boundaries by name of Clinton. 



History of Jackson County. 109 

Milton — It is also ordered that in compliance with the prayer 
of the inhabitants of township No. 9, in range Seventeen, that the 
said township remain incorporated according to its orignal sur- 
veyed boundaries by the name of Milton. 

July 21, 1S1G — Pursuant to the adjournment, the honorable 
Board of Commissioners met according to appointment the second 
day of the term July 2, 1816. 

Bloomfield — It is ordered that in compliance with the prayer 
of the inhabitants of township No. 8 in range Seventeen, that the 
said township remain incorporated according to its original sur- 
veyed boundaries, by the name of Bloomfield. 

Madison — It is also ordered that in compliance with the- 
prayer of the inhabitants of the following boundaries, that they 
be incorporated in a new township by the name of Madison; be- 
ginning at the northeast corner of section No. 3 in range 17 and 
township 7; thence running south to the county line to the south- 
east corner of section 34, range 17 and township 7; thence west 
to the southwest corner of section 31, range and township afore- 
said; thence south to the county line to the southeast corner of 
section 36 in the 18th range and 5th township; thence west to the- 
southwest corner of section 35, township and range aforesaid; 
thence north along the section line to the northwest corner of sec- 
tion No. 2, range and township aforesaid; thence east to the range 
line between 18 and 17; thence along the same line north to the 
northwest corner of section No. 6, township 5 and range 17; thence- 
east to the place of beginning. 

Franklin — It is also ordered that in compliance with the 
prayer of the inhabitants of the following boundaries, that the 
same remain incorporated according to its original name of 
Franklin; beginning at the northeast corner of section No. 1, 
township 6 in range 18 and running south along the said range 
line to the southeast corner of section No. 36 in township 6 and 
range 18; then west to the northeast corner of section No. 3; thence 
south with section line to the county line; thence west along said 
line to the southwest corner of section 36 in township 5 and range- 



110 History of Jackson County. 

19; thence north along the section line to the northwest corner of 
section No. 1, township 6 and range 19; thence east to the place of 
beginning. 

Scioto — It is also ordered that in compliance with the prayer 
of the inhabitants of the following boundaries that they be incor- 
porated in a new township by the name of Scioto; beginning as 
follows: At the northeast corner of section No. 2, township 6 and 
range 19, and running south along the section line to the county 
line, to the southeast corner of section 35, in township 5, range 19; 
thence west to the southwest corner of the county; thence north 
along the county line to the old Ross county line; thence east to 
the place of beginning. 

Lick — It is ordered that Lick township have the following 
boundaries: Beginning at section No. 1, the northeast corner of, 
running south to the southeast corner of section No. 36, township 
7, range 18; thence west to the county line, southwest corner of 
section 31, range 19, township 7; thence along the county line north 
to the northwest corner of section No. 7, township 7, range 19; 
thence east to the northeast corner of section No. 12, range 19, 
township 7; north to the northwest corner of section No. 6, range 
18, township 7; thence east to the place of beginning. 

Hamilton — This township was not erected until December 6, 
1825. The commissioners' entry in the journal is as follows: "Or- 
dered that in compliance with the prayer of the inhabitants in the 
following boundaries, that they be incorporated in a new township 
by the name of Hamilton, bounded as follows, to-wit: Beginning 
at the northeast corner of section 1, township 5, range 19; thence 
south along the township line to section 36, township 5, range 19; 
thence west along the Scioto county line to section 33, township 

5, range 19; thence north to the northwest corner of section 4; 
thence east to the place of beginning. And ordered that Scioto 
township be hereafter designated by the following boundaries, to- 
wit: Beginning at the northeast corner of section 2, in township 

6, range 19 ; thence west to the northwest corner of section 6, range 
19 and township 6; thence south to the northeast corner of section 
12, township 5, range 20; thence west to the northwest corner of 



History of Jackson County. Ill 

section 11, township 5, range 20; thence south to the southwest 
corner of section 35; thence east to the southeast corner of section 
35, township 6, range 19; thence north to the place of beginning. 

THE FIRST ROAD PETITION— A petition was this day 
(July 3, 1816) handed by the hands of Isaac Baker, praying for a 
road to be opened; beginning at the fork of the creek two miles 
and a half above Lewis Mercer's, on the new county road leading 
from Portsmouth to the Scioto Salt works; thence running the 
nearest and best way to Hugh Gilliland's on the waters of Simm's 
creek ; thence to Abraham Baker's ; thence the nearest and best way 
to intersect the new road that leads from the Salt works to Galli- 
polis at or near Mr. Radebouth's on the most suitable place. Or- 
dered that the above road be reviewed and the following persons 
are appointed as reviewers, they having agreed to do it without 
charge; reviewers, Levi Mercer, John Horton, Lewis Adkins; sur- 
veyor, Gabriel McNeal. — These reviewers made a favorable report 
January 8, 1817. The report was considered June 2, 1817, and the 
road was established as proposed, as "one of the public highways 
of the county." This road was nine and three-quarters miles long. 
It began at a white oak in the forks of Little Scioto, ran by a 
beaver pond and intersected the Gallipois road near Henry Rada- 
baugh's. 

FIRST YEAR'S TAXES— The Commissioners met on the 29th 
of July, 1816, present Emanuel Traxler, John Stephenson and John 
Brown, and proceeded to make out the alphabetical duplicates of 
the property tax, and finished them ready for delivery, the total 
amount being $301.20. The following persons served as township 
listers in 1816: Lick, Joseph Armstrong; Madison, John Atkinson; 
Franklin, Richard Johnson; Milton, Joshua Scurlock; Bloomfield, 
John Stephenson. June 6, 1817 — It appears from all statements, 
the total amount of expenditures for this year up to the fifth of 
this month, and up to order 176, amounts to $547.18. "The receipts 
Mere $363,871. Thus the county was in debt $183,306 at the end of 
its first fiscal year. The total amount of taxes to collect for the 



112 History of Jackson County, 



year 1817 was $354.85, distributed as follows: Clinton, $29.60; 
Milton, $39.50; Bloomfleld, $48.55; Madison, $48.90; Franklin, $53; 
Lick, $07.00; Jackson, $35.70; Scioto, $32." 

FIRST TERM OF COURT— The new county was in the second 
judicial circuit, of which Judge John Thompson was president. 
He set the opening day of its first term of court for August 12,. 
1816. He arrived at the Springs on horseback, riding up from 
Chillicothe, accompanied by a number of attorneys, and sightseers 
who came to see the noted Salt works. Judge Thompson became 
the guest of his associate, Hon. William G-ivens, whose residence 
was the temporary seat of justice. The attorneys were quartered 
with Nathaniel W. Andrews and Sheriff Abraham Welch. When 
the hour came for opening court, it was found that no room in the 
Givens' residence would hold the crowd. This, together with the 
great heat, led Judge Thompson to order that chairs and tables 
be taken out and set under the wide spreading branches of a white 
oak tree, standing near the home. It was a motley crowd that 
gathered there. Three classes were largely represented and deserve 
mention. The salt boilers with their rough exterior, much resem- 
bling the denizens of the more modern mining camps, were the 
most numerous. Second in number, but first in influence, were the 
sturdy yeomen planters, clad in homespun. Trappers, hunters and 
half hermits, silent men, with coonskin caps and clothes of deer- 
skin, formed a third class. There was beside a small sprinkling of 
the better dressed, which included the Methodist circuit rider, two 
or three tavern keepers, a few salt well lessees and furnace owners, 
some small merchants, and a bakers' dozen of visitors from Chilli- 
cothe and Portsmouth. The hour having arrived, Judge Thompson 
and the associate judges, William Givens, Hugh Poor and David 
Paine, took their seats, and Sheriff Welch was ordered to open 
court. Following is the record of the first proceedings, as they 
stand approved: 

August Term, 1816, Jackson County, State of Ohio — Pleas held 

before the Honorable John Thompson, president of the court of 

common pleas for the second circuit, Hugh Poor, David Paine and 



History of Jackson County. 113 

William Givens, esquires, associate judges for the county of Jack- 
son, at the house of William Givens, temporary seat of justice, on 
the 12th day of August, Anno Domini, one thousand eight hundred 
and sixteen, of the independence of the United States, the 41st, and 
of our State, the 14th. Present, Nathaniel W. Andrews, clerk pro 
tempore, and Abraham Welch, sheriff. The sheriff, to whom the 
venire facias was directed, this day here returned the same, and 
the names being called, appeared, to-vvit: James McDaniel, George 
Camble, Samuel Traxler, John McBride, Gabriel McNeal, Robert 
Erwin, James Higginbothain, William Martin, William Stephen- 
son. And the other named presons not appearing, ordered that the 
sheriff summon sufficient number of the bystanders to complete the 
panel of 15. Whereupon the following persons were summoned 
as talesmen: Joseph W. Eoss, Joseph Crouch, Joshua Winks, An- 
drew Donnally, Moses Hale and Jared Strong. Whereupon Jared 
Strong was appointed foreman, who with his fellows having taken 
the oath prescribed by statute, and having received their charge, 
retired to consult. The court appointed Joseph Sill, Esq., prose- 
cutor. This day, on motion, ordered that the electors of Scioto 
township have leave to elect a wise, sensible, prudent and discrete 
person a justice of the peace, in addition to the one at present 
acting in that capacity, and that certificate issue to trustees. Judge 
Thompson, in issuing this order, must have had in mind Jethro's 
advice to Moses: "Moreover, thou shalt provide out of all the 
people, able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetous- 
ness; and place such over them, to be rulers." The first case called 
at this term was styled, "Brown & McCort vs. Peleg Potter; debt." 
Hon. Richard Douglass appeared as attorney for the plaintiffs. The 
case was called, for Potter to get an opportunity to give bond, and 
John George was accepted as his surety. The next business to 
engage the attention of the court was the appointment of the first 
administrator to serve in the county, viz: Joseph Crouch appointed 
to administer the "goods and chattels, rights and credits" of his 
father, Joseph Crouch, Sr. Jacob Delay, James Stephenson and 
John Brown, all of Milton township, were appointed as appraisers 
of the personal estate of decedent. The first business transacted 



114 History of Jackson County. 

August 13, 1816, the second day of the term, was the considering 
of the petition of Andrew Donnally for a license to keep a tavern, 
which was as follows: 

A PETITION FOR A LICENSE TO KEEP A TAVERN— 
July 10, 1816 — To the honorable judges of the court of common 
pleas of Jackson county: The petition of the undersigners, free- 
holders of Bloomfield township, humbly represent to your honours 
that we conceive a publick house of entertainment in Bloomfield 
would conduse to the publick convenience, therefore we recom- 
mend Andrew Donally, one of the sitizens, as a man of a good 
carricter and every way calculated to acomodate the publick, we 
therefore pray your honours would grant him a licens for the 
purpose and your petitioners as in duty bound will ever pray. — An- 
drew Donnally. 

The other signers were Hugh Poor, Elijah Long, Moses Hale, 
Andrew Boggs, Samuel McClure, William Stephenson, James 
Stephenson, Samuel Allison, Reuben Long, Alexander Poor, Joel 
Long, Christopher Long, Gabriel McNeal, Robert Irwin, John 
Stephenson, Robert G. Hanna, Benjamin Long, Azariah Jenkins, 
George Burris, George Campbell, Anthony Boggs. The text of the 
petiton was written by Donnally himself, and, like Shakespeare, 
he exercised the right of spelling his name in more than one way. 
This fact may explain why the spelling in the petition is out of 
the ordinary. He may have felt that inability to spell was no bar, 
but rather a recommendation, with the backwoodsmen. He could 
spell, but did not want to. Be that as it may, his license was 
promptly granted. 

FIRST CRIMINAL CASE— The criminal docket for the term 
was then taken up. John Hale and Joel Long had been indicted 
because, "on the first day of April, in the year of our Lord, one 
thousand eight hundred and sixteen, with force and arms, in 
Bloomfield, etc., they did agree to box and fight each other at fisti- 
cuffs, etc." This fight occurred on election day and has been men- 



History of Jackson County. 115 



tioned before. The boys were arrested, both plead guilty, and each 
was fined $12 and the costs. 

FIRST PETIT JURY— A petit jury was empaneled on the 
same day, in the case of Elkanah Bramlet, ''otherwise called" El- 
cano Bramlet. He had been indicted for assaulting William Mc- 
Connell in Lick township on July 10, 1816, and the case was tried 
to the following jury: Basil Johnson, Moses Gillespie, John Ogg, 
David Mitchel, John Corn, Salmon Goodenough, Allen Rice, Austin 
Palmer, Samuel Stephenson, James Weeks, William Alden and 
John George. The witnesses for the State were, Joseph Arm- 
strong and Andrew Donnally. The verdict was "guilty" and Bram- 
let was fined $6 and the costs. Singulary enough, one of the 
jurors, Austin Palmer, had settled a little affair of his own with 
the court, just before taking his seat in the jury box. He had been 
indicted for assaulting Andrew Frazee, of Milton township, on 
August 10, 1816, entered his plea of "guilty" and had been fined $12 
and the costs. These affairs of honor were very common among 
the sturdy backwoodsmen, who brooked no insult. 

OTHER BUSINESS— The only other transaction of interest 
at this term was the appointment of Dr. Gabriel McNeal as sur- 
veyor of Jackson county for the term of five years. There were 
no resident attorneys in Jackson at that time, and a foreign attor- 
ney had to be appointed prosecutor. The attorneys in attendance 
at this term of court, according to the records, were Joseph Sill, 
Richard Douglass and N. K. Clough, all of Chillicothe. It was the 
custom then, for the attorneys to travel the circuit with the court. 
This term closed August 14, 1816. 

THE FIRST FALL ELECTION— The voters of Jackson 
■county were called upon in October, 1816, to vote for State and dis- 
trict officers, and for county officers for the long terms. The 
county had been divided by this time into eight townships, viz: 
Bloomfield, Clinton, Franklin, Jackson, Lick, Madison, Milton and 
Scioto. Two hundred and fiftv-two votes were cast. The cnndi- 



116 History of Jackson County. 

dates for governor were Thomas Worthington and James Dunlap. 
Worthington received 120 votes and Dunlap 132, but the former 
was elected. The vote for congressman stood as follows: Joseph 
Kerr, 72; Levi Barber, 125; John A. Fulton, 12; Samuel Monett, 17; 
Henry Brush, 41. Jackson county was then in the Third con- 
gressional district, and Levi Barber was elected from the district. 
Two years afterward, Brush, mentioned above, was elected, but 
in 1820, Barber again regained his seat for this district. For State 
senator, Robert Lucas received 107 votes and David Ridgeway 150 
votes. The senatorial district was then composed of the counties 
of Gallia, Jackson, Pike and Scioto. Ridgeway was from Gallia. 
Lucas was from Pike and he was elected. The vote for representa- 
tive stood: Jared Strong, 171; George L. Crookham, 89; Guthrie,. 
5. The legislative district consisted of Pike and Jackson, and 
Strong was elected. He thus became the first representative of 
Jackson county. He was a citizen of the county. His early 
history is unknown, but it is said that he moved to the Salt works 
from what is now Vinton county. He early built a mill on Salt 
creek below Jackson, which was known by his name for many 
years. He was the statesman of the county, for he was re-elected 
in 1817, and again in 1819, 1822 and 1823. At the first term of court 
he was appointed foreman of the grand jury. He became one of 
the contractors for building the first jail, and he was interested 
in building the first court house. He was thus foremost in all 
public affairs. He died early, else he might have become much 
more prominent in county affairs and might have represented the 
county in congress. His tombstone stands in the old graveyard 
near the new school building and the inscription is as follows: 
"Sacred to the memory of Jared Strong, who departed this life 
December 20, 1827, aged forty-five years, seven months and ten 
days." Crookham, his opponent at the first election, has been 
already spoken of at some length. There was a hot contest for 
sheriff. Joseph Armstrong, a jolly, good-natured citizen, with con- 
siderable executive ability, was pushed by friends in order to try 
to secure the defeat of Welch, whose record was not of the best. 
The vote stood Welch, 144; Armstrong, 127. Welch's triumph was- 



History of Jackson County. 117 

of short duration, for he was compelled by circumstances, to leave 
the county a short -while afterward. The vote for coroner stood 
as follows: John Stockham, 94; Peleg Potter, 49; John Gillespie, 
31; William Jolly, 24; John Kite, 1. Gillaspie was thus defeated 
for re-election. There was a spirited contest for commissioner, the 
vote standing as follows: John Stephenson, 185; Emanuel Traxler, 
165; R. G. Hanna, 153; John Brown, 112; John Delay, 24; Samuel 
Hall, 27; John Scott, 21. Stephenson and Traxler were re-elected, 
but Brown was defeated by R. G. Hanna. The Commissioners held 
their first meeting November 11, 1816. The first official act of the 
Board was to determine by lot who should get the long terms. 
Traxler was the luckiest, and drew the three-year term; Stephen- 
son drew the two-year term. Hanna was re-elected in 1817, and in 
1820 he was elected to the Legislature for the counties of Jackson 
and Pike. He continued one of the most prominent citizens of 
the county while he lived. 

EARLY CRIMINAL RECORD.— The first settlers at the 
Licks being squatters, many of them were lawless men. Davis 
Mackley, who knew something of the early times, wrote as fol- 
lows: There was no law administered nearer than Portsmouth or 
Chillicothe, and as many of the men around the salt furnaces 
were the worst type of adventurers, and as whisky was used in 
large quantities, it is not strange that fighting was common, and 
that murder was committed occasionally. In the year 1803 a man 
named Fitzgerald was murdered by one Jack Brandon, and about 
the same time a man named Squires was murdered by one Pleasant 
Webb, a notorious and dangerous character. He had been a Tory 
during the Revolutionary war, and was the terror of the early set- 
tlers. He was known by the nickname of Pompey. I could not 
learn that either of these murderers was brought to justice or pun- 
ishment. All that part of Jackson from Pearl street to and be.vond 
the fair ground was originally a wet and marshy place, with large 
maple, elms, birch and other trees, with an undergrowth of alder, 
wild rose and other bushes. After a time it was cleared and the 
timber cut, except one of the original maple trees, which yet stands 



118 History of Jackson County. 

on the rear of Samuel Stevenson's lot, a short distance north of 
the schoolhouse. After this portion of the present town had been 
cleared, it was enclosed with a worm fence, and was an old pasture 
field seventy years ago. This field was the place where the fighters 
usually went to settle their drunken quarrels. Judge Salter, of 
Portsmouth, worked at the licks when he was a boy, and he once 
told me that a day scarcely passed without one or more fights in 
this field, and that blood could be seen almost any time either on. 
the battle ground or where thf> Dugilists had crossed the low rail 
fence when retiring from the field of battle. Whisky and peach 
brandy were always in great demand about the licks. A man once 
came with a yoke of oxen and a small wagon, and a keg of whisky r 
which he desired to barter for salt. There happened to be no salt 
on hand at the time, but the inhabitants of Purgatory were bound 
to have some whisky. They proposed to barter anything they had,, 
but the owner of the whisky wanted nothing but salt. They pro- 
posed among other things to trade him a calf, but he still refused 
and was preparing to leave early next morning. During the night 
they caught the calf, tied it and put it into the wagon, which was. 
a covered one, and the owner drove off before daylight next morn- 
ing. After he had got some two miles from the licks, several men, 
followed him and pretended they had a search warrant, and ac- 
cused him of stealing the calf. Of course he denied it, and told 
them to search his wagon. One of the party raised the cover, when 
sure enough there was the calf. The pretended officer then com- 
pelled the man to haul the calf back to Purgatory, and treat the 
crowd to all the whisky they desired before they would release him 
from the pretended prosecution. Even after the county was 
organized, drinking whisky and fighting continued to be the prin- 
cipal diversions of many of the settlers. All the criminal prose- 
cutions at the August and November terms of court in 1816 were 
for fighting. The men indicted plead guilty in nearly all cases, 
for such a plea established his record as a fighter. Many of the 
fights were fistic duels, both parties having agreed to fight at 
fisticuffs, but it not infrequently happened that a ruffian would 
seek to whip every man that came in his way, in order to win a 



History of Jackson County. 119 

reputation as a bully. At the April term, 1817, prosecutions for 
violations of the liquor law began. The first indictment was 
found against William Howe. It was charged that he did, on 
January 10, 1817, barter, sell, retail and deliver, for money, cer- 
tain spiritual liquors or strong drink, not cider or beer, by less 
quantity than one quart, to-wit: One-half pint of whisky to James 
Mail, without having first obtained a license therefor. He plead 
guilty, and was fined |2 and the costs. This kind of a conviction 
was then considered as not in the least reflecting upon the man 
convicted. Even the very best men in the community were occa- 
sionally indicted for such an offense, and they invariably plead 
guilty. A study of the Court Kecord almost convinces one that 
such convictions were regarded as good jokes, for even the court 
officers were indicted in turn. At the July term, 1817, Abraham 
Welch was indicted for three sales of half-pints of whisky, and 
one of the sales had been made to the foreman of the grand jury. 
Welch was always in trouble with the courts, although he was 
the sheriff. At the July term, 1817, he was indicted for assault- 
ing one Valentine Pancake on January 10, 1817. He plead guilty, 
of course, and was fined $30 and the costs. He was also required 
to give a peace bond in the sum of $250. A riot that occurred at 
the Jackson township spring election in 1817 furnished almost as 
much grist as that at the Bloomfield town house the year before. 
It began with a fistic duel between Robert Darling and Joseph 
Hartley. Hartley was so badly vanquished that his brother Philip 
went to his rescue, only to be pummeled in turn. Darling was 
indicted for both offenses, the wording in the latter case being as 
follows: ''Robert Darling, unlawfully, riotously and routously, did 
beat and wound and illtreat, and other wounds, to the said Philip 
Hartley in Jackson township." 

THE FIRST CONVICT— The first person sent from this 
county to the penitentiary was Burgess Squires, convicted at the 
May term, 1817, of issuing counterfeit money. There was a great 
scarcity of the circulating medium at the licks at all times, and 
this led some adventurous souls to increase the circulation by 



120 History of Jackson County. 

issuing counterfeit bank money to a considerable amount. There 
was no bank here, and no persons handling money in sufficient 
quantities to become familiar with the currency of the country. 
This made the passing of counterfeit money that much the easier, 
for the victimized merchant, tavernkeeper or official would not 
learn of the imposition that had been practiced upon him, until 
he tried to pass the money at Chillicothe or elsewhere. But ex- 
perience is a dear school, and the business men of Jackson began 
to be on the lookout for bad money. Andrew Donnally, the tavern- 
keeper, was the first person to cause an arrest. It seems that one 
Nimrod Kirk gave him six notes, signed by I. Boss and N. Mercer, 
and each payable for 50 cents in specie or bank currency at Browns- 
ville. He received these notes March 1, 1817, and a few days 
later he learned that they were forged. When the grand jury 
met at the July term he laid the case before them, and Kirk was 
indicted. He plead not guilty, and the case came on for trial. 
Kirk was ably defended and was acquitted July 23, 1817. The 
next day the trial of Burgess Squires began. The indictment 
charged that Burgess Squires, on March 10, 1817, did unlawfully 
utter and publish as true and genuine a false, forged and counter- 
feit bank note, purporting to be drawn and payable for $10 by 
the Bank of Pennsylvania; also one false, forged and counterfeit 
bank note payable for $1 by the Bank of New Lisbon. It appears 
that he had paid these notes to Abraham Welch, the sheriff of 
the county, who, together with Dr. N. W. Andrews, Francis Hol- 
land and Levi Mercer, was a witness against him. Burgess was 
represented by Hon. N. K. Clough, of Chillicothe, while Hon. 
Joseph Sill, of the same place, acted as prosecutor. Burgess plead 
not guilty, and a jury was empaneled. The jurors were Cornelius 
Culp, Anthony Howard, James Dempsey, William Reed, Joseph 
Armstrong, Jared Strong, Moses Gillespie, Alexander Poor, Peter 
Williams, William Grove, Daniel Harris and Reuben Long. Some 
prominent men were on this jury. Armstrong was direc- 
tor of the town of Jackson and Strong was the representative in 
the Ohio Legislature. The jury returned the verdict "guilty." All 
of Clough's efforts to save his client were unavailing, and Squires 



History of Jackson County. 121 

was sentenced to five years in the penitentiary, twenty-four hours 
of that time to be in a solitary cell. The conviction of Squires led 
to some very ugly talk about others, even Welch, the prosecuting 
witness against him, and another county officer, still more prom- 
inent. Welch was finally indicted for counterfeiting, and gave 
bond in the sum of $500, with J. W. Ross, Francis Holland and 
John Graham as securities. At the next term of court Welch's 
case. was called, but he did not appear, and his bond was declared 
forfeited, but it was respited one more term. On Monday, March 
23, 1818, the case was called the last time, but no Welch appeared, 
and the bond was forfeited. Welch had left the county and never 
returned here. The conviction of Squires and the departure of 
Welch put an end to the circulation of counterfeit money in 
Jackson. 



THE COUNTY SEAT— The organization of a new county in- 
volved the establishment of a county seat. The largest village 
in the county was Poplar Row, and its central location made it 
suitable for the seat of justice. But the land on which it stood 
belonged to the National Government, and all that the Legisla. 
ture could do at the time of the organization of the county was 
to establish the house of Judge William Givens as the temporary 
seat of justice. The matter of securing the consent of the General 
Government to lay out a town in the Scioto Sale Reserve, and to 
sell lots to raise funds to erect county buildings was pushed at 
once after the erection of the new county, and Congress passed 
a law April 16, 1816, which authorized the state to sell one section 
of the reserve for that purpose. But while these matters were in 
progress a county building was a necessity at each term of court 
and at each session of the commissioners. The house of William 
Givens was used by the courts during 1816, but the commissioners 
met at other houses to suit their convenience. At the April term, 
1817, court was held at the house of Dr. N. W. Andrews, the clerk. 
No reason is known for the removal from Givens' house. At the 
July and October terms court was held at the house of Andrew 
Donnally, the tavernkeeper. It happened once or twice that broils 



122 History of Jackson County. 

would occur in the barroom while court was in session in the 
parlor, and the offenders were brought before the court red-handed. 
These interruptions drove the court from Donnally's house, and 
after that it held its sessions at the houses of Joseph W. Ross,. 
Charles O'Neil, the Widow Richmond and perhaps others, until 
the new court house was ready for occupancy, which did not occur 
for several years. When the Legislature met in the winter of 
1816-1817 Representative Jared Strong worked hard to get the 
General Assembly to take action in accordance with the law 
passed by Congress, authorizing the sale of a section of the Re- 
serve, and on January 14, 1817, the following law was passed: 

Whereas, It is provided by an act of Congress approved April 
16, 1816, that the Legislature of the State of Ohio is authorized 
and empowered to cause to be selected and sold in such manner 
and on such terms and conditions as they may by law direct, any 
one section not exceeding the quantity of six hundred and forty 
acres, of the tract of land of six miles square reserved for the 
benefit of this state, at the Scioto salt springs, in said county of 
Jackson; provided, that the section so selected shall not include 
the said salt springs, and that the money accruing from the sale- 
of the aforesaid section shall be applied to the erection of a court 
house or other public buildings thereon, for the use of the county 
of Jackson, in this state; and whenever the selection and sale of 
the said section of land shall have been made, and the same shall 
be duly certified to the commissioner of the general land office, a 
patent shall be granted by the President of the United States for 
the said section in trust to such person or persons as the Legisla- 
ture shall appoint and authorize to sell and execute titles to the 
purchasers of the land aforesaid; therefore, 

Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the 
State of Ohio, That commissioners shall be appointed to fix the 
seat of justice in the county of Jackson as is pointed out in the 
act entitled, "An act establishing seats of justice," passed the 
28th day of March, 1803, and the said commissioners, when met in 
the county of Jackson for the purpose of fixing the seat of justice 



History of Jackson County. 12& 



for said county, shall select any one section, not exceeding the 
quantity of six hundred and forty acres, of the six miles square 
reserved by congress for the use of this state at the Scioto salt 
springs; which section shall not include the said salt springs, and 
shall not be on either boundary of said township r tract of land r 
and when selected it shall be the duty of the commissioners to 
point out thereon such spot as in their opinion will be most eligible 
for the seat of justice in said county, and shall make report 
thereof to the next Court of Common Pleas, to be held in said 
county agreeably to the provisions of the before recited act. 

Section 2. Be it further enacted, That there shall be a town 
laid off on such section, to be known by the name of Jackson, and 
a director appointed by joint resolution of both houses of the Gen- 
eral Assembly and commissioned by the Governor, who shall hold 
his office until the duties required by this act shall be performed, 
if so long he behaves well, and previous to entering on the duties 
of his office he shall take an oath or affirmation faithfully to dis- 
charge the duty assigned to him by this act, and also shall enter 
into bond, with one or more securities in such sum as the Court of 
Common Pleas in said county may direct, made payable to the 
Treasurer of Jackson county and his successors in office, condi- 
tioned for the faithful paying over and accounting for all moneys 
that may come into his hands by virtue of his office as director. 

Section 3. Be it further enacted, That it shall be the duty 
of the director, on being duly notified by the Clerk of the Court 
of Common Pleas of Jackson county, that the commissioners have 
selected a section and pointed out thereon the seat of justice, to 
proceed to lay off one-half of said section into a suitable number 
of in and out lots at the places selected by said commissioners, of 
such a size as he may think most advantageous, no one of which 
shall exceed ten acres, and make out an accurate plat of the 
same, and cause it to be recorded in the Recorder's office of Jack- 
son county, and shall proceed to sell the said town lots at public 
sale, giving at least thirty days' notice of the time of such sale 
in the newspaper printed at Gallipolis and one of the papers 



124 History ok Jackson County. 

printed at Chillicothe, which sale when commenced shall continue 
from day to day until all the lots are sold, which shall be on the 
following conditions: One-fourth part of the purchase money to be 
paid at the time of sale, one-fourth part in twelve months, and 
the balance in two annual payments, the purchaser or purchasers 
•giving his or their bond with good and sufficient security to the 
director thereof, and if not punctually paid at the time the money 
shall become due, to bear interest from the time of sale; the 
-director shall give each purchaser of a lot or lots a certificate of 
purchase, specifying therein the number of the lots by him pur- 
chased, and that a conveyance will be made when the last install- 
ment shall be paid, and when the lots are all sold the director 
shall deposit in the office of the Secretary of State an accurate 
plat of said town, designating the section on which the same is 
laid off, accompanied with a list of the sale, which shall be filed 
in said office, and the Governor thereupon shall certify the same 
to the commissioner of the general land office of the United States, 
and jprocure a patent for such section in the name of the director, 
and his successors in office, in trust, who shall make conveyances 
to the purchasers of lots on their complying with the terms of sale. 

Section 4. Be it further enacted, That the half of the sec- 
tion of land so, as aforesaid, selected, as shall not be laid off into 
town lots, agreeably to the provisions of the third section of this 
act, shall be and remain under the direction of the Court of Com- 
mon Pleas of said county of Jackson, and the director of said 
town shall make sale thereof at such time and under such regula- 
tions as said court may direct. 

Section 5. Be it further enacted, That the director shall be 
entitled to receive |2 per day for each day he may be necessarily 
employed in the discharge of his duty as director, to be allowed 
by the commissioners of Jackson county, and to be paid out of the 
county treasury. 

Section 6. Be it further enacted, That all moneys for the 
sale of lots in said town shall be collected by the director and paid 



History of Jackson County. 125 



into the county treasury of the county of Jackson; and the com- 
missioners of said county, after defraying the expense incurred 
by the director and his fees, shall apply the balance to erecting a 
court house and other public buildings for the said county, and 
for no other purpose. 

Section 7. And be it further enacted, That if any person or 
persons having heretofore settled on said section of land so as 
aforesaid selected by the commissioners to be sold under the law 
of the United States, for the purposes aforesaid, having leased 
the lot or lots upon which they may reside of this state, and whose 
lease will expire on the 1st day of March, 1817, if on the sale of 
the aforesaid lots by the director of said town the lesees do not 
become the purchasers, then in that case the purchasers of such 
lots shall pay to such lessee of such lot the price of the buildings 
erected on said lot, to be valued by the commissioners of said 
county, or any two of them. 

COMMISSIONERS AND DIRECTOR APPOINTED— The 

selection of the commissioners to fix the seat of justice under this 
act, and of the director, was made by joint resolutions, which are 
as follows: 

Resolved, by the General Assembly of the State of Ohio, That 
Samuel Reed of Pike county, Lewis Newsom of Gallia county and 
Henry Bartlett of Athens county be, and they are, hereby ap- 
pointed to fix the seat of justice in the county of Jackson. 

January 24, 1817. 

Resolved, by the General Assembly of the State of Ohio, That 
Joseph Armstrong of Jackson county be, and he is, hereby ap- 
pointed director of the town of Jackson, in said county. 

January 27, 1817. 

SELECTING THE SITE— The commissioners had a notice- 
posted at the Salt Reserve February 9, 1817, announcing that they 



126 History of Jackson County. 



would attend March 18, 1817, for the selection of a town site. On 
the appointed day a large assemblage of salt boilers, planters, 
hunters and trappers greeted them at Donnally's tavern. They 
found their duty a very simple affair. Nature had long before 
prepared a most beautiful town site, and all that it needed was 
the official sanction of Ohio's agents. The report of the com- 
missioners was laid before Judge John Thompson on Monday, 
April 7, 1817, the opening day of the April term of Court of Com- 
mon Pleas, and was as follows: 

The commissioners appointed by joint resolution of the Legis- 
lature of Ohio for fixing the seat of justice in the county of 
Jackson, after being notified of their appointment, and the Inhab- 
itants having due notice of the time and place of their meeting, 
entered on the duty assigned them by the Legislature, and after 
examining different sections of land in the six miles square re- 
served by Congress for the use of this state, do report that they 
are unanimously of opinion that section numbered 29 is the section 
they have chosen for the use of said county of Jackson, and that 
they are unanimously of opinion that the north end of said section, 
south from Salt creek and immediately back of the houses occu- 
pied by N. W. Andrews, Mr. George and Mr. A. Welsh, upon the 
highland, is the most eligible place for the seat of justice in said 
county of Jackson. All of which is respectfully submitted. Given 
under our hands at Poplar Row, Lick township, the 18th day of 
March, 1817. 

HENRY BARTLETT, 

SAMUEL REED, 

LEWIS NEWSOM, Commissioners. 



NEW TOWN LAID OUT— This report was approved by the 
court and ordered filed. The clerk was then directed to notify 
the director to give bond and qualify. Joseph Armstrong came 
into court April 8, 1817, presented his bond in the sum of $10,000 
with John Stephenson, Emanuel Traxler, Robert G. Hanna and 
Andrew Boggs as securities, which was approved, and he was 



History of Jackson County. 127 

thereupon authorized to proceed to the execution of his duties as 
director. His first duty was to lay out the new town. Surveyor 
McNeal did not care to undertake the work, and the services of 
Judge Joseph Fletcher of Gallipolis were secured. He was assisted 
by N. W. Andrews and David Radcliff. Joseph W. Ross, Francis 
•Ory and George Riley acted as chain carriers, and the stakes were 
made by James Chapman and a son of Sheriff Welch. The stone 
for the corners of the public square were furnished by Major John 
James. The public square was surveyed first, and was laid out 
with reference to the houses designated by the state commis- 
sioners. The house of John George stood on the lot facing the 
Ruf tannery, and that of A. Welch on the site of the residence of 
Jacob W. Beyron. The sides of the square determined the bearing 
•of the streets. The remainder of the half section was divided into 
137 inlots, 36 outlots, a common and the necessary streets and 
alleys. The survey occupied eight days, during which the survey- 
ing party was boarded with John George, whose account was 
.62 1-2. Judge Fletcher was paid $60 for his services. 



SALE OF LOTS — Next came the lot sale. It began June 2, 
1817 i and continued ten days. J. W. Ross was auctioneer, and N. 
W. Andrews and Richard Johnson served as clerks. A large num- 
ber of land speculators from Ross, Pike, Scioto and Gallia counties 
were in attendance, and the bidding on desirable lots was lively. 
Inlot 1, the southeast corner of Main and Portsmouth streets, 
was bid in by Elisha Fitch of Ross county, who also secured the 
Commercial bank corner, paying $107 for the first, and $79 for the 
•other. The four lots facing the public square brought $390. Inlot 
•5, the Martin corner, was bought by Robert Lucas for $100. Daniel 
Hoffman bid in the Gibson corner, paying $141 for inlot 52, and 
$102 for inlot 51 adjoining. Inlot 35, the Isham corner, was run 
up to $145, and fell to Reason Darby. The liveliest bidding was 
-on the improved lots on Poplar Row, but the majority of them 
fell to the lessees. Inlot 110, the McKitterick corner, was bought 
by Major John James for $140. John George paid $120 for the lot 
facing the tannery. Daniel Hoffman bid $165 for inlot 116, the 



128 History of Jackson County. 

Methodist corner, on Portsmouth and Water streets. The south- 
west corner on the same street was run up by speculators to $200, 
in order to secure the tavern standing upon it. Andrew Donnally 
was the winner. Abraham Welch was forced to pay $102 for the 
Beyron lot, where his house then stood. The highest bidding was 
on inlot 120, the northeast corner of Portsmouth and Water streets. 
Benjamin Kiger finally offered $225 and became the purchaser. 
Outlot 1 was bought by Samuel W. Blagg, who bid $200. Eleven 
inlots and one outlot failed to sell. The sum realized from the 
sale of lots was $7,196.75. Whisky was free during the sale, and 
was furnished for the county by Andrew Donnally. His bill 
amounted to $25.75. The expense account of the survey and sale 
amounted to $349.95. The balance was to be devoted to the erec- 
tion of public buildings for the use of the county. And now a 
word about Joseph Armstrong: 

JACKSON'S FIRST DIRECTOR— The most noted personage 
buried in Mt. Zion cemetery was Joseph Armstrong, who died Feb- 
ruary 4, 1S57, aged 77 years and 4 days. He came to the Scioto 
salt works when a young man, and was at once recognized as a 
leading spirit. In 1817 he was honored by being appointed the 
first director of the town of Jackson. Under his supervision, the 
new town was surveyed and the lots sold, as already related. In 
1819 he had the south half of the town laid off and the lots sold. 
He then secured a patent from the General Government for the 
whole section, No. 29, which was issued February 16, 1820, and 
signed by James Monroe. Armstrong and the Commissioners had 
a difference about certain affairs connected with his office, and he 
resigned July 3, 1822. Daniel Hoffman was appointed in his place, 
and he served until November 22, 1826, when he resigned, and 
Alexander Miller was appointed. When Armstrong resigned the 
directorship, he did not go out of office. In the fall of 1816 he had 
been a prominent candidate for sheriff, and was beaten by Abra- 
ham Welch by a few votes only. The latter got into trouble soon 
after and left the county, and in the fall of 1817 Armstrong was 
elected sheriff over a number of opponents. He was re-elected 



History of Jackson County. 129 

and served until 1823. lie was elected again in 1828 
and served two terms. John Duncan, a friend, was 
elected next, but after his incumbency Armstrong was elected for 
a third period. Altogether he served more years as sheriff than 
any of his successors. When out of office he was frequently 
deputy, so that he may be said to have been in virtual charge of 
the sheriff's office for about twenty years. Be served as tax col- 
lector many years, and as road commissioner more than once. He 
was the executive head of the county during the years of its 
organization, and knew, and was known to all the citizens of the 
county. He had three sons, Stephen, James and Joseph, but none 
of his descendants live in the county now. 

THE FIRST JAIL — The Commissioners were in session dur- 
ing the first week of the sale, and when they found the lots selling 
lively, they determined to make arrangements for building a jail. 
Accordingly, they ordered, on June 4, 1817, that notices be posted, 
"advertising the letting of the building of a jail for this county, 
on the 4th day of July next." Other business occupied the time of 
the Commissioners on the glorious Fourth, and the matter was 
deferred to July 5. Joseph W. Ross was appointed to cry the sale. 
There was only one bid, and the contract was let for $3,000. John 
George was the nominal bidder, but the jail was built by Ashley 
Gibbs, who, together with Jared Strong and Levi Mercer, became 
security for George. The work was pushed rapidty, and the com- 
pleted jail was received by the commissioners February 7, 1818. 
It was a log building, "thirty feet front and twenty feet deep." 
It was two stories high, with four rooms and a hall on each floor. 
The walls of the prison part consisted of two tiers of oak logs, each 
a foot square. The walls were painted white, the roof and shutters 
Spanish brown, and the casings lead color. No prisoner ever 
escaped from it. The Associate Judges, at a special court held 
February 25, 1818, ordered that "the jail bounds for this county 
extend four hundred yards each way from the jail of said county." 
The completion of the jail relieved the county of the heavy ex- 
pense of guarding prisoners. Up to that time all prisoners bad 



130 History of Jackson County. 

been fed at Andrew Donnally's ordinary, and guarded by deputy 
sheriffs. John George, the contractor for the building of the jail, 
was in trouble with the courts all the time, and the expense of 
guarding him in the fall of 1817 amounted to |33.75. The guard- 
ing of Peter Marshall for a few days in August, 1817, cost $39.75, 
and he escaped after all. The further sum of $25 was paid as a 
reward to William Jolly for his recapture. The following extracts 
from the Commissioners' Journal relating to the lot sale and the 
letting of the contract for building the jail throw additional light 
on the business methods of the early days. It will be noticed 
that the sale was worked for all that was in it by the inhabitants 
of Poplar Row: 

JULY 4, 1817 — This day, according to appointment, the Com- 
missioners of Jackson county met for the purpose of selling out 
the building of a jail for the county of Jackson, legal notice hav- 
ing been given by advertisement at our annual meeting in June, 
and also for settling and receiving a statement of the sale of one- 
half section of land belonging to the county of Jackson of Joseph 
Armstrong, director. This meeting was held at the seat of justice 
in Jackson county, in the house of Andrew Donnally; present, 
Emanuel Traxler, John Stephenson and Robert G. Hanna, Com- 
missioners, and Nathaniel W. Andrews, clerk. 

This day Joseph Armstrong presented a statement of the sale 
with the number of lots belonging to the town of Jackson, to-wit: 
Inlots 137 and outlots 36, one outlot, No. 36, out of which number 
was reserved for the use of this county until next sale, being a 
fraction. Eleven inlots were also reserved until the next sale, 
to-wit: Nos. 64, 66, 74, 78, 85, 92, 95, 96, 98, 99, 136. 

The balance of the lots sold, the first installment of which 
amounted to $1,799.31 1-4, the total amount $7,196.75. 

The director, Joseph Armstrong, then presented the follow- 
ing accounts as expenses of the survey, and the expenses of the 
sale, and also his own account of the number of days employed 
up to the present time. 



History of Jackson County. 131 



Ordered, that Judge Fletcher be allowed for surveying the 
town of Jackson, etc., f 60, and that an order issue for the same 
payable to Joseph Armstrong. 

Ordered, also, that the following accounts be allowed, and an 
order issue for the same, payable to Joseph Armstrong. 

Three days taken up by the director in employing a sur- 
veyor, $6. 

Four days taken up in getting hand bills and advertisements 
printed by the director in Gallipolis and Chillicothe, $8. 

The printing of the hand bills and advertisements, $3.25. 

William Kansom, for going to Chillicothe to surveyor gen- 
eral's office, for the field notes of the section, $3. 

Abraham Welch, for the use of a horse in going for said field 
notes, and a boy one-half day making stakes, $1. 

Nathaniel W. Andrews, for two days and a half assisting sur- 
veyor, $2.50. 

John George's account for boarding in the time of the survey, 
62 1-2. 



Hugh Poor, for two hands employed seven days, making 
stakes, etc v and hauling plank for a shed for clerks, $11.50. 

John James, for the use of a boy and one-horse wagon for 
hauling stakes and stone for the corners of the public square, and 
a hand one day in making stakes, $6.50. 

Joseph W. Ross, for carrying chain three days, $2.25. 

Francis Ory, do. six days, $4.50. 

George Riley, do. four days, $3. 

David Radcliff, assisting surveyor, $2.75. 

James Chapman, two days making stakes, $1.50. 

Joseph Armstrong, for two days taken up in employing 
hands, $4. 

Do, do, to eight days attendance on surveying the town, 



132 History of Jackson County. 

Richard Johnson, employed to go to Chillicothe for blank 
notes and certificates, $3. 

J. Nashe, for printing blank bonds and certificates, fl0.25. 

Absalom Wells, for going to Gallipolis for the plat of the 
town, $3. 

J. Armstrong, for ten days attendance on the sale of lots, |20. 

Richard Johnson, for acting in the time of the sale 10 days 
as clerk, flO. 

Nath'l W. Andrews, do. do., $10. 

Do. do. do., five days after the sale, |5. 

Joseph Armstrong, for five days employed in settling sale 
business, flO. 

Andrew Donnally's account for whisky in time of sale, $25.75. 

John James' account for boarding hands time of sale $14.12 1-2. 

Joseph W. Ross, for crying sale ten days, $17.75. 

Joseph Armstrong, to two days employed in getting hand bills 
and advertisements printed, $4. 

To one-half paper of pins, 20 cents. 

For one quart whisky for hands erecting shed for clerks in 
time of sale 37 1-2 cents. 

To writing paper, three quires, $11.12 1-2. 

Being the total amount of this order, $289.95. 

THE FIRST COURT HOUSE— After the completion of the 
jail the Commissioners found themselves without enough money 
to build a Court House at once, but on November 5, 1819, they 
gave notice that the sale of the contract for building would be 
made December 4, 1819. The proceedings of that date as they 
appear on the old Journal are as follows: December 4, 1819. — The 
Court House in the town of Jackson was let according to law, 
and Elisha Fitch, of the county of Ross, became the purchaser 



History of Jackson County. 133 

at $1,061, he being the lowest bidder; whereupon, the said Elisha 
Fitch, together with Levi Mercer, William Givens, Hooper Hurst 
and Jared Strong, his securities, entered into bond conditioned for 
the faithful performance of the work. The building of the Court 
House occupied several years. There was trouble with the con- 
tractors, and as late as June 4, 1821, the roof had not been put 
on, for an order of that date reads as follows: "The roof to be 
what is called a hipped roof, and the cupalow to be in proportion 
with that in Piketon and finished in the same manner; likewise 
the octagon to be of the same size and form of that of Piketon." 
The finishing of the interior took several years more, for one of 
the contracts for that part of the work was not let until July 
16, 1825. Thfe building never was entirely finished. A bell was 
put on in the Fifties, and in 1860 the old structure burned to the 
ground. 

THE FIRST MERCHANTS— French and English traders vis- 
ited the licks during the Indian occupation, and after the salt 
boilers took possession, traders became expected and regular vis- 
itors. The memory of these pioneer agents of commerce has passed 
away. The first merchant at the licks of whom there is a record 
was Daniel Hoffman, to whom a license was issued November 5, 
1816, by the Court of Common Pleas, "to vend merchandise other 
than the growth and manufacture of the United States." The 
tax on a merchant's license was $15 per annum. In order to give 
an idea of the scale upon which this pioneer merchant did business 
the following entry from the Commissioners' Journal is inserted 
here : 

June 27, 1818: — This day the Commissioners of Jackson county 
met for the purpose of valuing the house in which Daniel Hoffman 
now lives and at present keeps store; present, John Stephenson 
and Robert G. Hanna. Having carefully examined the said house, 
with all the loose plank on the lot, counter and other work for the 
store, with all its appurtenances, we do appraise the whole to be 
worth $175. The house referred to was newly built and stood on 
the Gibson House corner. The second store at the licks was 



134 ' History of Jackson County. 

started after the county seat had been located. It was owned by 
Peter Apple & Company, and was licensed April 8, 1817. Daniel 
Burley, the third merchant, took out a license May 12, 1818. George 
Dovenet took out a peddler's license June 27 of the same year. 
The firm of Hugh Poor & Company, consisting of Hugh Poor, 
Horace Wilcox and Edmund Richmond, was licensed July 15, 
1818, and the firm of Strong & Givens, consisting of Jared Strong 
and William Givens, was licensed September 26, following. The 
next year, James & Hurst started a store, and the little town was 
well supplied with merchants. 

THE FIRST BANKRUPT— The Court Journal shows that 
Walter Murdoch was the first bankrupt in the county. He peti- 
tioned the Court of Common Pleas on June 30, 1818, for "benefit 
of act relieving insolvent debtors." The court ordered that notice 
be published in a Chillicothe paper named The Supporter. 

TEACHERS' EXAMINERS— Little attention was paid in the 
early days of Jackson county to schools and education. The strug- 
gle for life was too hard, the farmers were scattered too far apart 
in the woods to organize school districts, and the population at 
Jackson, the only village in the county, was not of a character 
that appreciated the advantages of an education. The village 
was much like the mining camp of later days, a large proportion 
of the inhabitants being single and transients. The first teacher 
we hear of was William Wilds, who taught a school about 1820 
in a log house built for the purpose on the Adam Sell place, near 
Coalton. James H. Darling, who was the last survivor of the 
pupils of that school, furnished me the following particulars con- 
cerning it: The school house was a low log building, with puncheon 
floor, a large fireplace at one end and a window on each side. The 
windows had been constructed by cutting out the lower half of 
one log and the upper half of the log under it for a distance of 
several feet, thus making a narrow slit, over which greased paper 
was pasted. Hoisting was a matter of impossibility in the case 
of these windows, but the securing of ventilation was an easy 



History of Jackson County. 135 



matter, for paper was cheaper than even the cheap glass of today, 
and a diamond was not needed to cut an artistic looking hole in it. 
The only furniture in this school house were the benches for the 
scholars to sit on, which had been constructed by setting slabs on 
legs, and a stool constructed in a like manner, which was used by 
the teacher. The latter was always equipped with a bundle of 
switches cut from a hickory thicket nearby, and Mr. Wilds had 
the reputation of never sparing the rod. The oldest scholars read 
the Bible and studied arithmetic and writing. The smaller pupils 
studied the spelling book, and mischief. At Christmas time the 
big boys and girls locked the teacher out, and he capitulated 
gracefully by agreeing to treat. This old custom, which prevailed 
from time immemorial in the western country, survived in this 
county until 1877. The last case I can recall occurred at the Oak 
Hill school, in Madison township, just before the holidays of that 
yeai'j when Hon. T. J. Harrison was barred out on a certain noon 
intermission. He had gone for a walk, as was his custom, and 
when he returned and found the door locked, he stepped back into 
the play ground, picked up a fence rail, which had been used as a 
base in playing "blackman," placed it on his shoulder, and then 
made a run for the door. The rail battering ram crushed in the 
door, and Harrison was master of the situation. He taught out 
the term and then resigned. But he put an end to the custom 
of "locking out." After the county had been organized some ten 
years, there came an educational awakening. The cause is not 
known. The departure of the salt boilers may have had some- 
thing to do with it. Be that as it may, one of the results was 
the appointment of a committee by the Court of Common Pleas 
to examine applicants for certificates to teach. The appointment 
was made June 8, 1826. This first Board of Examiners consisted 
of the three best informed men in the county, viz: George L. 
Crookham, Daniel Hoffman and Alexander Miller. This was the 
initiative of the common school system in the county. 

AUTUMNAL FEVERS— Nearly all writers neglect to men- 
tion perhaps the greatest trial of the pioneers. Every family that 



136 History of Jackson County. 



moved into the woods knew that the move meant death to one or 
more of its members. Finley says: The new settlements were 
regularly visited with autumnal fevers. They were of the bilious 
type, and sometimes the symptoms resembled those of yellow 
fever. Billious intermittents, or fever and ague, prevailed to a great 
extent. They were supposed to have been caused by the effluvia 
arising from the decomposition of the luxuriant vegetation which 
grew so abundantly everywhere. These fevers were attended with 
great mortality, and the sufferings occasioned by them were 
intense. Often there was not one member of the family able to 
help the others, and instances occurred in which the dead lay 
unburied for days, because no one could report. The extensive 
prevalence of sickness, however, did not deter immigration. A 
desire to possess the rich lands overcame all fears of sickness, and 
the living tide rolled on heedless of death. In the summer of 1798 
the bloody flux raged as an epidemic with great violence, and for 
a while threatened to depopulate the town of Chillicothe and its 
vicinity. Medical skill was exerted to its utmost, but all to no 
purpose, as but very few who were attacked recovered. From 
eight to ten were buried per day. The Scioto salt works, located 
in a low swampy valley, was perhaps the sickliest place in South- 
ern Ohio, and the death rate was very high. Even visitors who 
came here after salt in 1798 sickened and died. There was hardly 
any hope for any one attacked, for there were no physicians 
located here until 1810, when Dr. Gabriel McNeal came from Vir- 
ginia. For eight years after the epidemic of 1798 there was a 
comparative respite, but according to Atwater, in the autumn of 
1806 a fever of the remittent type made its appearance, extending 
from the Ohio river to Lake Erie. Its symptoms were chills in the 
forenoon, between 10 and 11 o'clock, which were succeeded by 
violent fever, afterwards, in an hour and a half. The fever con- 
tinued to rage till about 6 o'clock in the evening. During the 
exacerbation great pain or oppression was felt in the brain, liver, 
spleen or stomach, and frequently in all these organs. The sweat- 
ing stage took place about midnight. By daylight there was a 
respite, but not a total exemption from the urgency of these symp- 



History of Jackson County. 137 

toms. The first eases mentioned afforded no opportunity for inter- 
posing tonics. From information given us by many in the circle 
around Chillicothe, one-sixth part of the inhabitants were swept 
off by death. In 1813 and 1814 there were like epidemics. But 
perhaps the worst of all was that of 1823. Heavy and long con- 
tinued rains commenced about the 14th of November, 1822, and 
continued almost daily until the 1st of the ensuing June. It is 
computed by some persons that the country lying between the 
Scioto and Miami rivers had the twentieth part of its surface cov- 
ered during the months of March, April and May with water. A 
fever commenced its ravages and continued its course during the 
months of June, July, August, September and during the early 
part of October. It was of the remittent type, affecting more or 
less, many, perhaps nineteen-twentieths of the people. In 1824 
there was a repetition of the epidemic on a smaller scale. The 
families living in the valley of Salt creek were visited by another, 
but lighter epidemic, again in 1827. This was the last epidemic, 
but for nearly 40 years after the settlement of the county many 
suffered and died from autumnal fevers. To this cause may be 
ascribed the early death of so many of the pioneers. Those 
afflicted with any chronic ailment succumbed to these fevers. 

THE FIRST DEATHS.— The earliest settlers at the Scioto 
salt licks found many charred tree trunks still standing in the 
cleared ground on the ridge which is now occupied by the business 
part of Jackson. They were so many monuments to white pris- 
oners who had died at the stake. The exact number of those un- 
fortunates will never be known, but any one that has studied the 
history of the sixty years' war between the Ohio Indians and the 
white pioneers of the Alleghenies will readily concede that fully 
one hundred persons may have perished thus within the present 
limits of the city. The large number is thus accounted for. Bands 
of Shawanese, Ottawas, Wyandots, Delawares and other Indian 
tribes came to the licks every summer to make salt. The drudg- 
ery at the kettles was squaw's work, and while the women toiled 
and the old warriors smoked, gambled or hunted, parties of young 



138 History of Jackson County. 

braves made incursions into the Virginia mountains, and brought 
back many scalps, and not a few white prisoners. The boys were 
often spared for adoption and the women for drudges, but the 
majority of the men, in fact, all who failed to win favor with 
their captors, were tortured at the stake. These barbarous execu- 
tions generally occurred on the high ground on or near the site 
of the Public Square. The Indians cut off the top of a small 
tree, leaving the trunk for a stake, to which the victim was tied. 
The torture then began, and did not cease until life was extinct. 
These executions were regarded by the Indians as entertainments, 
and the tribes expected every returning war party to furnish at 
least one victim, especially if the party had lost a man on the 
foray. Inasmuch as the licks were the first safe stopping place 
after crossing the Ohio, a number of whites must have been tor- 
tured here each year, particularly between 1755 and 1785, when 
the border warfare was most bitter. It was the Indian custom 
to gather the remains of such victims and give them burial, but 
the spot has not yet been discovered. 



THE OLD GRAVEYARD— The first white settlers that died 
at the licks were buried on the hill afterward known as the Ford 
hill, not far from the Lutheran church. Later a number of salt 
boilers were buried on the hill, which is a part of the McKitterick 
farm. The graveyard lies east of the old Indian trail from the 
licks to Chillicothe. The place was selected by the whites because 
it had been used as a burial ground by the Indians. There is no 
record of the names of those buried there, but the number must 
have exceeded fifty. The graves were marked with native sand- 
stone, many of which crumbled in time, while others were carried 
away by collectors. Names and dates were cut on a few, but the 
great majority bore only initials. A visiting collector asked per- 
mission years ago to take away the stone bearing the oldest in- 
scription, but Mr. John McKitterick, Sr., refused. A few days 
afterward, it was discovered that the stone had disappeared, and 
it was suspected that the stranger had stolen it. For half a cen- 
tury the graveyard remained uncultivated, but after the ground 



History of Jackson County. 139 

was cleared the stones disappeared rapidly. Ten years ago, when 
I iirst visited the place, only two were left. One of them bore the 
following inscription: "D. F. D., Sept. 23, 1802." Daniel F. Dean 
was killed at a log rolling. He was a large and powerful man, but 
on that unlucky September day he lost his hold while raising a 
heavy log, and it rolled back and crushed him, killing him in- 
stantly. Many of those buried here were men who were murdered 
at the salt works. Some of the earliest salt boilers were lawless 
men, and the morals of the community were at a par with those 
of the wildest mining camps of the early gold days. It was a com- 
mon occurrence from 1795 to 1803 to find the corpse of some one 
murdered overnight floating in a salt water tank, and to discover 
later that one or two others had departed between two suns with- 
out leaving their addresses. The last of these murders was com- 
mitted by a negro. He was caught and lynched, the lynching 
taking place near the Mitchell rocks. His remains were interred 
in the old graveyard, which caused it to fall into disrepute. Many 
of the earliest burials were made without coffins, but they came 
into use later. They were made of good old oak, and one of them 
lasted over sixty years, for Mr. G. C. McKitterick remembers when 
the grave fell in. I have been informed that members of a family 
named Hill, living in Liberty township, have been buried here, but 
the information has not been verified. 



A FORGOTTEN GRAVEYARD— The salt furnaces were built 
in the valley from James A. Lackey's farm up to the infirmary. 
Pieces of the old salt kettles used at the furnace on Lackey's 
farm were plowed up in the spring of 1900. The salt boilers at 
the upper furnaces found it inconvenient to bring their dead to 
the "Old Graveyard," and they began to bury in a spot near 
Smith's lane, where it crosses the railroad, on land now owned 
by W. H. and M. K. Steele. There are forty to fifty graves at this 
place, but none of them are marked. Peter Bunn, who is now in 
his eightieth year, says that two of his infant brothers and another 
little boy named Walden were buried there. Mrs. Sophia Mitchell 
remembers that she attended the burial of a little daughter of 



140 History of Jackson County. 

John Radcliff at this place, when she was a mere child, about 
seventy years ago. 



THE BUNN GRAVEYARD— This old burial ground occupies 
the greater part of outlot 26, and a part of outlot 27 in the south 
half of the original town of Jackson. The lots were laid out by Ga- 
briel McNeel, the county surveyor, on May 25,1819 but the spot had 
been selected for a town cemetery before that date, for Charles 
O'Neil was buried there May 17, 1819. Mrs Sophia Mitchell states 
that her mother, Mrs. Tacy Bunn, attended his funeral, and that 
this burial was the first in the cemetery. The spot was selected 
on account of its location and the character of the soil. It lay 
a quarter of a mile from the new town of that day, but it could 
be reached without crossing low or wet ground. The high ground 
selected forms a little hummock, which was more than half sur- 
rounded by water at that time, and therefore unsuitable for build- 
ing purposes. The soil was sandy, free from slate or rock, and 
thoroughly drained, considerations that appealed to the pioneers. 
The sale of the lots in the south half of Jackson occurred in June, 
1819. Outlots 26 and 27 were purchased by Peter Bunn, the first 
for $31 and the second for $25.25. The title remains in the family 
to this day. The Bunns came originally from Germany and set- 
tled near Baltimore. Peter Bunn, Sr., born in Maryland, moved 
with his family to Ross county, in this state, about the beginning 
of this century. Four of his children, Peter, Jr., Samuel, Hannah 
and Polly, settled in this county. Peter Bunn, Jr., was born near 
Baltimore, January 1, 1780. He married Tacy Howe in this county 
February 29, 1824. Five daughters were born to them. Mary 
Ann died an infant. Sophia, who became the wife of Dr. D. H. 
Mitchell, was born May 29, 1826; Elizabeth, who became the wife 
of John Ratcliffe, was born February 4, 1828; Eunice, who mar- 
ried John Smith, was born October 16, 1829, and Tacy, who mar- 
ried Henry C. Hale, was born July 27, 1836. Elizabeth is dead, 
but two of her children, Mr. Peter Ratcliffe and Mrs. W. H. Steele, 
survive. The other three daughters are still living, Mrs. Mitchell 
and Mrs. Smith in this city, and Mrs. Hale at Warrensburg, Mo. 



History of Jackson County. 141 

Their father died July 10, 1853, aged 72 years, 6 months and 19 
days. II is wife survived until January 4, 1881, dying at the age 
of 78 years, 8 months and 29 days. Both now lie side by side in 
the burial ground bought by Mr. Bunn in 1819. The oldesl tomb- 
stone in it is that of Charles O'Neil. It is a flagstone, and the 
inscription reads as follows : "In memory of Charles O'Neil, 
who 'departed this life May 16, 1819, aged 26 years.*' O'Neil was 
county treasurer at the time of his death. Although a young 
man, he became a victim of the insalubrious climatic conditions 
at the licks. A number of other county officers suffered a like 
fate, as the following inscriptions indicate: "Sacred to llie mem- 
ory of Jared Strong, who departed this life December 20, 1827, 
aged 43 years, 7 months, L0 days." "Sacred to the memory of 
William Ransom; born September I'll. A. I>. 1791, died December 
8, 1832; aged 38 years, 2 months, 19 days. 'For me to live is 
Christ, and to die is gain." " "In memory of Absalom M. Faulkner, 
who departed this life September 18, 1829, aged ".1 years. 7 months, 
10 days."' 

Strong was the first representative of this county, and held 
many other positions of trust. Ransom was treasurer of the 
county for about 12 years, dying in office. Faulkner, who was a 
Free Mason, was clerk of courts for about six years and died in 
office. Henry May Faulkner, his little son, died the same day, and 
his infant son, Jacob Offnere, died December 13, 1829. The fatal- 
ity among count}' officers was great in those days, for the records 
show that in addition to those named above, Sheriff William 
White died in 1824. Other prominent people in early Jackson who 
died in the twenties where Edmund Richmond, who died Feb- 
ruary 10, 1820, aged 55 years, 5 months and days, and Huldah, 
his wife, who died August 21, 1823, aged 59 years, 3 months and 
18 days. The Richmonds were an influential family here for years. 
There were four brothers in all, named Seth, Nathaniel, David and 
Edmund. I have not been able to learn what became of the other 
three. A woman that deserves to be mentioned was the wife of 
Thomas Scott, who was prosecuting attorney in 1830-2. The in- 
scription on her tombstone reads as follows: "In memory of Eliz* 



142 History of Jackson County. 



abeth Scott, consort of Thomas Scott, who departed this life De* 
cember 13, 1822, aged 43 years." A large, wide spreading elm tree 
now grows near her grave. It sprouted after her burial, but it 
now shades a space sixty feet in diameter. It should be cared for 
and preserved. Not far away lie the remains of the first wife of 
Daniel Perry, who was sheriff of this county two terms. The in- 
scription reads thus: "In memory of Jane, consort of Daniel Perry, 
who died February 1, 1833, in the 29th year of her age." 

The graves of two children of Daniel and Susan Perry, named 
Cornelia and Isham, are on the same lot, also that of Perry's 
brother, Simeon, who died February 28, 1825, in the 32nd year of 
his age. The majority of those buried here before the fifties died 
before reaching old age, which goes to show that the climate was 
fatal to whites until Salt Creek valley was cleared and drained. 

More than 700 persons have been interred in this cemetery, 
but the graves of the great majority were left unmarked, and even 
the names of many of them have been forgotten. For instance, 
217 bodies were removed in March, 1900, to Fairmount, of whom 
only 64 were known. The unknown removed and left included 
some men and women who were once prominent in this county. 
Mr. Peter Bunn remembers that he helped to dig the grave of one 
of them way back about 1835, viz: Joseph Schellenger, uncle of 
ex-Auditor William Schellenger and brothers. Schellenger had 
served with Samuel Bunn, the father of Peter Bunn, in the war 
of 1812. 

SOME KECOLLECTIONS— A letter written by Michael Mc- 
Coy and an interview with James H. Darling throw additional 
light on life at the salt works. Michael McCoy, who spent the last 
fifty years of his life in this county, furnished his recollections for 
The Standard a few years before his death, and they are worth 
preserving. He was born in Lawrence county, O., January 22, 
1800. He removed with his parents to this county in 1816, and 
lived in Hamilton township until his death, November 8, 1869. 
Following are the most interesting passages from his letters: We 
came to this county in the spring of 1816. We landed on the 17th 



History of Jackson County. 143 



of April and settled near where Jacob Brown now (1866) lives. 
At that time there were but two houses where the town of Jack- 
son now stands, and they were taverns. One was down below 
where the Isham House stable now stands, and the other was down 
towards where Steel's (Ruf s) tanyard now is. These taverns were 
kept by Abraham Welch and Jared Strong. There were five salt 
furnaces in operation at that time, run by Ross Nelson, John John- 
son, John W. Sargent, Asa Lake and William Givens. 

I suppose there were some five or six hundred voters in Jack- 
son county. Abraham Welch was the first sheriff of Jackson 
county, and Nathaniel W. Andrews was the first clerk of courts. 

Welch and a man named Wilson, and another named Squires, 
and another, whose name I will not give, as he has some relatives 
yet living in this county, got to making counterfeit money, and 
they all left the county except Squires, and he was sent to the 
penitentiary. For some cause Andrews resigned as clerk, or was 
removed, and a man named Charles O'Neil was the next clerk. He 
afterward died of consumption. O'Neil's widow married Vincent 
Southard. Dr. Andrews was again appointed clerk, and held the 
office until he removed to Portsmouth. Absalom M. Faulkner was 
clerk and held the office until he died. 

Colonel Strong had the contract for building the old Court 
House for f 7,000 ($4,061). This much I know: The brick was made 
in 1820, not far from where Pearl street and Broadway cross. I 
do not think the wall of the Court House was built until 1821. 
What makes me think so is, that the Elias Long house was built 
in 1820 by a man named Gibbs. I made and carried the mortar 
for more than two-thirds of that house; Nathan Sheward carried 
the brick. We worked for 50 cents a day, or at least the promise 
of it. I never got over half my pay. The same year that little 
checkered brick by Noel's tanyard was built by a man named 
Puffenbarger. I made and carried the mortar for that building 
from foundation to the top; same wages and same pay. Both men 
broke up, and I had to take just what I could get. There were two 
wells of salt water near Jackson in 1816, one owned by Asa Lake, 



144 History of Jackson Counts 



not far from where the bridge crosses Sail creek on the Chillicothe 
road. The furnace was out on the road not far from where George 
L. Crookharu buill some years afterward. There was another well 
not far from where Diamond Furnace is now located, belonging 
to William Givens. The furnace was on Givens' Run, in a south- 
west direction from town. The courts continued to be held in 
private houses until L82 1 or L825, maybe as late as L826, when the 
old Court Bouse was taken possession of by Ezra Osborne, presi- 
dent judge of this circuit. I was at the first day's sale of the lots 
in the town of Jackson. A shed made o( plank was put up on the 
public square. Joseph Armstrong was director of the town of 
Jackson. Joseph \\ . Ross was the crier, or auctioneer, and Rich- 
ard Johnson was the clerk of the sale. The highest priced lot waa 
bought by Daniel Eoffman, where he afterwards lived and died. 
The next highest lot sold was where Noel's tanyard was located. 
It was sold to a man named llenr\ Kiger. Robert lamas and 
Elisha Pitch, from Piketon, were prominent bidders for lots at 
that sale. Now. I will give von a sketch oi the wild aspect of 
things about Jackson when the first lots were sold. True, there 
was a great deal of timber cut for the salt furnaces, and in some 
places the young growth had started considerably. 'There were 
three or four public roads thai led to Jackson, the Gallipolis and 
Chillicothe toad, the Athens toad and the Piketon road. The 
latter was made for the purpose of hauling corn from the Big 
Scioto to the salt works. 'Then there was a track that was called 
the Guyan trace, along which hundreds of bushels of salt wen' 
packed to the Ohio river. 'That trace left town where Nelson's 
Furnace was located. It ran a south course and crossed the divide 
near where Irwin's station now is. It then ran southward to the 
Adkins place, from (here to old Joseph Trice's, crossed the Black 

Fork of Symmes creek, then crossed Dirty Face near Philip Lam- 
bert's mill, then up Sweet Bit, crossed the Dry Ridge road, went 
down a inn and crossed Svnunes creek near where old llonr\ Mr 

Daniel lived, then up Long creek, and crossing Greasy Ridge ran 

down 'Trace Fork to the forks of Indian Guyan, now Scott town: 
thence south or nearlv so to Guvandotte. Manv a Red Man of the 



History of J ; •• ' ' * 



Foresl has traversed thai path." Some of the above Btatemente 
are tnaccurate. The description of the old Guyan trace is the only 
one thai i have been able to I'm. I. Tins was the famous Indian 
highway from Virginia to the Bhawanese towns on the Scioto, and 
ii i , : i , i been in use for centuries when the whiteB entered the coun- 
try. Man} a while captive has toiled along this trail, every step 
taking him farther from home and kindred, and, in man} instances, 
taking him nearer to the spol where he was to die ;ii the stake. 
Man} a young child, unable to keep up with its captors, wus slam 
<Mi this trail and Ief1 for wild beasts to feed upon, as in the case of 
the little daughter of Mis. Martin already menti d. 



DARLING'S INTERVIEW James II. Darling, then living 
in the west, visited this count} :i few years before ins death, and 
while here he called upon me and furnished the following facts 
aboul the pioneers: "My father's uame was Timothy Darling, tie 
came to Ohio in L815 from Wood county, Virginia, and settled on 
Pigeon creek, where Coalton now is. Jackson count} had noi been 
organized then. My mother's maiden uame was Elizabeth Cook, 
and she was a sister of Nfanc} Cook, who married John James, 

after wl Jamestown wus uamed. I had two brothers and three 

sisters, viz: William, Derrick, Barsheba, Elizabeth C. and Aurora. 
Barsheba married Isaac Brown, son of Nathan Brown. Aurora 
married Charles Love. Elizabeth C. died unmarried, and was the 
first person buried in the Jamestown cemetery. I was horn l><*- 
cember 30, L813, and was onl} iwo years <»hl when m} famil} 
moved to Ohio. M} father soon purchased the property now known 
as the Hippel place, ami there is where i grew up. I used to come 
to Jackson to Sunda} school in the old Courl Mouse. There were 
two sail wells here thai I remember. A man by the name of Aid 
ridge had a sail well near the old Horse creek bridge, and Givens' 

sail well wus on Chens' Run. There were only four I ses <d' anv 

si/,e in Jackson (hen. There was I he old Miller house on Main 

street, :i brick house. The house of Richmond stood where the 
Orange Furnace property was afterward. Richmond was killed 



146 History of Jackson County. 



by a falling tree in a storm near Runkle's bridge. There was the 
Hooper Hurst house. It stood on the point on Main street, not far 
from where the Ruf property is now. The Donnally House was the 
first hotel here and stood on Water street, opposite the Hatton 
residence. This hotel was afterward called the Warren House. 
There were a great many log cabins here and nearly all of them 
were strung along Salt creek below Water street, and were called 
Poplar Row. The salt boilers lived in them. I remember that the 
old Givens' house stood near Fulton Furnace. I used to go to a 
horse mill near Berlin, owned by Zephaniah Brown. It stood near 
the Cross Roads. We would take our own horses to work the mill. 
I also went sometimes to Jared Strong's mill, on Salt creek. It 
stood near where Bierly lived afterward. I think Jared Strong 
came to Jackson from the neighborhood where Wilkesville Is now. 
Jared Strong was the first representative of this county. He had 
three sons that I remember, Jared, Stephen and Jehiel. Jehiel 
was killed when his father was in Columbus attending the Legis- 
lature. He was riding horseback, going to the house of McKinniss 
to a frolic. It was winter time and the creek was out and the 
water frozen. When near Jacob Sell's house, his horse fell and 
injured him, and he died. His father did not reach home until 
after his death. I remember going after salt once to Judge Givens' 
salt works on Givens' Run. Salt was measured and not weighed 
then. They stopped making salt on account of the scarcity of 
wood and the failure of the salt wells. The salt that I got was 
white. My father, Timothy Darling, died in 1830. I was married 
in 1833 to Rachel Howe. She died last winter in Kansas. She 
was a sister of Tacy Howe, the wife of Peter Bunn, the pioneer. 
He owned the old cemetery south of Jackson. They began bury- 
ing in it at a very early day. Charles O'Neil is buried there. 1 
remember when he died. He was county treasurer then. He had 
one child that I remember, Mary O'Neil, and my wife used to 
play with her when they were little girls. O'Neil's widow mar- 
ried Vincent Southard afterward. One of the old citizens buried 
in the old cemetery was Dr. Mussett. I knew Daniel Perry, the 
ex-sheriff. He was a carpenter, and died in Jackson township. I 



History of Jackson County. 147 



knew George W. Hale, Stephen Vaughn and Joseph W. Ross. 
Rev. David C. Bolles was a preacher, and I remember his death. 
He has a box vault in the old cemetery. (Rev. David Bolles died 
April 20, 1840, aged 47 years.— Ed.) I have heard of Jonathan 
Gilkeson and John Runkle, but never saw them. The stars fell 
in 1833, the year 1 was married. The stars fell all night, like drops 
of rain. The great flood occurred in Jackson December 10, 1847. 
There was a stranger drowned on the Athens road, near where 
Tropic Furnace is. I knew James Hughes, the man who started 
The Standard, well. He married a sister of William Mather and 
went west. Henry Rout was an old settler, and lived on Salt 
creek. John James w r as my uncle. He came here from James 
Island, in the Ohio river, near Marietta. John D. James was his 
only son. Daniel Hoffman married my cousin, Julia James. He 
lived where the Gibson House stands now, and had his store where 
the Sternberger Building stands. He sold out the Salt Lick Re- 
serve for the state. Mrs. Elihu Johnson, Mrs. Alexander Miller 
and Mrs. Andrew Long were three other cousins. Muster Day 
was an important event in early times. Jared Strong, Captain 
Kincaid, George W. Hale and others used to be officers. General 
muster was held usually about the middle of September. 



THE END— In 1817 the State, with the consent of the General 
Government, donated Section 29, of the Scioto Salt Reserve, for 
the site of the new county seat, the town of Jackson. A joint 
resolution of the Ohio General Assembly adopted January 3, 1818, 
declared that experiments at the Scioto salt works, had failed to 
find water of a sufficient quality to render it an object to the State 
to retain lands reserved at said w 7 orks, and asked permission of 
the General Government to sell the lands. Congress was slow to 
act, and the Legislature on February 18, 1820, authorized the agent 
to lease lands for cultivation or pasture. An act of January 25, 
1823, fixed the agent's salary at $60 a year. Congress acted at 
last, and on December 28, 1S24, it passed a law permitting the state 
to sell its salt lands, and directing that the proceeds be applied 



148 History of Jackson County. 



to such literary purposes as said Legislature may hereafter direct. 
On February 7, 1825, the Legislature passed a law providing for 
the survey of the salt lands, and for making two maps of the same, 
a report of all to be made by December 25, 1825. The agent em- 
ployed Hon. Joseph Fletcher, of Gallipolis, to make the survey, 
and the whole tract was laid out in eighty acre lots. The Legisla- 
ture on February 7, 1826, passed a law providing for the sale of 
the Scioto Salt Reserve in June of that year, the sale to be held 
for three days, and the lots remaining unsold to be disposed of 
at private sale. There was no further use for the office of agent 
of the Scioto salt works, and it was abolished, and all laws relat- 
ing to leasing salt lands repealed, by an act passed January 26, 
1827, the disposal of the lands being placed in the hands of Daniel 
Hoffman, the agent for selling lands. Thus ends the history of 
the Scioto salt works as state property. 



History of Jackson County. 149 



MISCELLANY. 

A SOUTHERN TERM— The term plantation was common in 
the early history of the county, and was an importation from 
the South. Some of the Virginians retained southern words and 
expressions as long as they lived. The Virginians brought many 
things with them that revealed their origin. They settled, as a 
rule, near a spring, and planted calamus in the swale where its 
waters ran. These calamus patches were the drugstores of the 
pioneers, and they yet remain in places to mark the site of the 
pioneer's settlement. One of the largest tracts, that the writer 
remembers, is on the north end of the William H. Howell farm, 
in Jefferson township. 

TOWNSHIP NAMES — Jackson county was named in honor 
of General Andrew Jackson, who had made himself famous by 
winning the battle of New Orleans. The county was at first 
divided into five townships, viz: Bloomfield, Franklin, Lick, Mad- 
ison and Milton. The last was named for the great poet, two others 
for two American statesmen, and Lick on account of the salt 
springs within its bounds. Other townships organized the same 
year, 1810, were Scioto, Jackson, Hamilton and Clinton. The first 
was named after the river of that name, and the others in honor 
of three distinguished Americans. A few years later two other 
townships were organized, and named for the first and third Presi- 
dents. The journal entries relating to them are as follows: 

WASHINGTON — On application by petition in writing of 
sundry citizens, within the following boundaries, to me, auditor 
of Jackson county, be it therefore hereby known that Washington 
township shall be bounded as follows, to-wit: Beginning a r , the 
northeast corner of the reserve for the Scioto salt works and run- 
ning on the north line of the reserve to the southeast corner of 
Section No. 7, in Lick township; thence northwest so as to include 



ISO History of Jackson County. 

the coal bank in Section No. 5, Lick township; thence to continue 
northwesterly so as to intersect with the old coal road at or near 
the top of a hill known by the name of Bunker's hill, at or near the 
head of Mooney's run, including all settlers at or on said coal 
road; thence east to the range line between the seventeenth and 
eighteenth ranges in said county, so as to include William Ray, 
in Section No. 7, in Jackson township; thence south with said 
range line to the place of beginning. 

Sept. 10, 1821. DANIEL HOFFMAN. 

JEFFERSON — On application by petition in writing of sun- 
dry citizens within the following boundaries to me, auditor of 
Jackson county, be it therefore hereby known that Jefferson town- 
ship shall be bounded as follows, to-wit, within the eighteenth 
range, beginning at the northeast corner of said township and 
running so as to include the original surveyed Township No. 5. 

Jan. 25, 1822. DAN'L HOFFMAN. 

In 1850, Richland and Harrison townships, which had been 
annexed from Ross county, and Clinton township, were cut off 
and put in Vinton county. Two new townships have been organ- 
ized in recent years, Coal and Wellston. The latter was named 
in honor of Harvey Wells. 

PATENT FOR SECTION 2!)— Following is a copy of the 
original patent granted to Director Joseph Armstrong, who laid 
out the City of Jackson: 

To All To Whom These Presents Shall Come, Greeting: 

Know ye, that there has been deposited in the general land 
office a certificate of His Excellency, Ethan A. Brown, Governor 
of the State of Ohio, stating that in pursuance of an act of Con- 
gress, passed on the 16th of April, 1816, entitled, "An Act to 
authorize the State of Ohio to sell a certain part of a tract of 
land reserved for the use of that State," the Legislature of the said 
Stab 1 did, by an act passed on the 14th of January, 1817, authorize 
and empower certain Commissioners to select, and a Director to 



History ok Jackson Count\. 151 

sell, a section of land in said reserved tract, and that the said 
Commissioners had selected, and Joseph Armstrong, the Director 
appointed by said State, had sold the section so selected, to-wit: 
Section 29 of Township 7, in Range 18, being part of the six miles 
square reserved for the benefit of the State of Ohio, at the Scioto 
salt springs. 

There is, therefore, granted by the United States the section 
of land above described unto the said Joseph Armstrong, and his 
successors in office, in trust, to execute titles to the purchasers of 
the land aforesaid. 

In testimony whereof, I have caused the letters to be made 
patent and the seal of the general land office to be hereunto 
affixed. 

Given under my hand at the City of Washington, the 16th day 
of February, in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hun- 
dred and twenty, and of the Independence of the United States 
ot America the forty-fourth. By the President, 

JAMES MONROE. 

AN OLD-TIME WILI The following will, emancipating a 

slave, is perhaps the only instrumenl of the kind ever drawn in 
Jackson county. Hugh Poor, mentioned as executor, was one of 
the leading men of the county for a generation. He settled m what 
is now Jackson county, in 1811. In 1816, when the county was 
organized, he became one of the three Associate Judges, and served 
in that capacity for several years. He was one of the first mer- 
chants of -Jackson, and in many other ways assisted in its develop- 
ment. He died in 1827. Edward Poor, living in this city, is one 
of his grandsons. 

LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF HANNAH THOMPSON. 

In the name of God, Amen. 

I, Hannah Thompson, of the County of Jackson and State of 
Ohio, being far advanced in years and aware of the uncertainty of 
life and certainty of death, and being in my light mind and under- 



152 History of Jackson County. 

standing, blessed be God for the same, do make, constitute and 
ordain this, my last will and testament, in manner and form fol- 
lowing: 

In the first place, commit my body to the grave and my soul 
to God, who gave it. 

And as to what property I may be in possession of at the time 
of my decease, it is my will and desire that all my just debts be 
speedily and punctually paid, and 

That my Negro man, Stephen, as a just reward for his faith- 
ful service to me and his late master, be emancipated, and 

All the balance of my property, both real and personal, I will 
to my said Negro, Stephen, except only so much as will pay my 
funeral expenses and physicians, if any, and it is my desire and 
will that my executors dispose of it to the best advantage, and 
appropriate the proceeds thereof to my Negro man, Stephen. 

I do hereby appoint Hugh Poor my sole executor of this, my 
last will and testament. 

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal, 
revoking all former will and testaments by me made, and declare 
this to be my last will and testament, this 9th day of July, 1827. 

her 
HANNAH (X) THOMPSON. 
(Seal.) mark 

IMPORTING CARDS— Ohio had her Blue Laws in early days, 
and one of the most singular trials in the history of this county 
was that of John McGhee, indicted for violating one of them. 
The grand jury of the July term, 1817, indicted him because he 
"did import and bring into the county of Jackson aforesaid, and 
township of Lick aforesaid, a pack of playing cards." McGhee 
pleaded not guilty, but the jury found otherwise, and he was fined 
five dollars and the costs. The jurors were: Grand, David Mitchell, 
foreman; John Graham, John Backus, John Bennett, Peter 
Brown, Moses Hale, Joseph Gray, Jacob Westfall, William Burris, 



History of Jackson County. 153 

James Winks, Allen Rice, James Lackey, Joseph Crouch, George 
Campbell and Jeremiah Brown; petit, John McBride, Theophilus 
Blake, Daniel Harris, John Delay, John Frazee, Edward Story, 
James Stephenson, Levi Howell, Beuben Long, Asa Lake, Patrick 
Shearer, Drury Bondurant. With such men all agreeing, it must 
be conceded that it seems very probable that McGhee did import 
the cards. Perhaps, the losses of some of the jurors at gaming 
may have had something to do with this conviction. This is the 
first pack of cards mentioned in the records, but after that, indict- 
ments for gaming followed in quick succession. It appears that 
John George was one of the settlers that permitted gaming in 
his house. At least, the record shows that some very prominent 
men played at his house, although their own dwellings were only 
a few hundred yards away. All that has been mentioned goes to 
show that the pioneers were not any better, and perhaps no worse, 
than the people of today. The laws seem to have been better 
enforced, however. Even two women, living in Jefferson town- 
ship, who had settled a little difference by fighting, were indicted 
and found guilty, and a young man arrested in a bastardy case 
pleaded guilty and was mulcted. 

LEAD LEGENDS — Caleb Briggs made geological investiga- 
tions in Jackson county in 1837, and in his report he said: There 
are rumors in the southern portion of the state, in reference to 
lead mines, but as yet no veins have been discovered. Small quan- 
tities of lead have, however, been found in loose masses on the 
surface. A small piece of this description was recently sent to 
me from Jefferson township, Jackson county. Lead must exist in 
small quantities in either the iron ores or limestone of Lawrence 
and Scioto counties, as several pounds are not infrequently taken 
from the crevices in a furnace hearth at the close of a blast. This 
information was communicated by Mr. Smith, of Jackson Furnace. 

A find of lead was made in Liberty township, near Rock Hill 
church, as late as 1860. The following notes were taken at the 
place in 1895: 

On the south side of the breakthrough stands Lead Rock. It 



154 History of Jackson County. 

is low compared with Rock Hill, but it is nothing but rock, naked 
on three sides. On the south, a neck connects it with the main hill. 
It is called Lead Rock because a lump of lead was found in the 
creek bottom at its base about thirty-five years ago by William, 
son of Daniel Yerian. The lead was brought to Jackson and 
examined, and was found to be of good quality. The father^ 
Daniel Yerian, found another lump near by. There is a tradition 
that the Indians used to dig lead on Rock run, but this may be 
taken for what it is worth. The presence of the lead found by the 
Yerians has never been explained. There is a tradition that the 
Indians had a lead mine near Keystone Furnace. The following 
letter gives all the known facts: 



Rocky Hill,0.,March 13,1897. 

Editor Standard- Journal: Dear Sir — Herein is noted the tradi- 
tion which I have received from my people, who settled here in 
the year 1806, in regard to the lead mine somewhere m Bloom- 
field township. The Indians found and utilized a lead mine in 
what is known as Jimmy Adams' hollow, which at its beginning 
trends through the old Lackey homestead and terminates at the 
John Ware bridge, near Keystone Furnace. According to the 
tradition, it may be in some of the ravines or hollows leading 
into said valley. A certain person (whose name I can not state, 
as my informant is dead), was captured by the Indians and taken 
"blindfolded" to the mine, in order that it could not be located. 
I am also informed that this captive stated, that at said lead mine 
there were many beech trees, on which were engraven or cut 
figures of turkeys, turtles, deer, etc. But let this tradition be as 
it may. I can state this fact, that my grandfather in the early 
1800's, selected this homestead among the many situations in the 
forests for its fine flowing springs, one of which is called the Silver 
spring on account of its water. 

Very respectfully, 

CHAS. A. LACKEY. 



Histoky of Jackson County. 155 

THE LACKEY TAVERN— In this connection, the following 
petition of James Lackey, asking the Commissioners for license 
to keep a tavern, may prove of some interest: 

September 4th, 1818. 
To the Honorable Judges of the Court of Common Pleas of Jack- 
son County: 

The petition of the undersigned freeholders of Bloomfield 
township represent to your honors that we conceive a house of 
entertainment in Bloomfield township would be to the public's 
convenience. We therefore recommend James Lackey, one of our 
citizens, to be a suitable person to accommodate the public. We 
therefore pray your honor would grant him license for that pur- 
pose. 

Hugh Poor, Andrew Boggs, John Stephenson, Joel Long, 
Robert Ervin, George Campbell, Samuel McClure, Alexander Poor, 
George Corn, Moses Hale, El is ha Long, Stephen Martin, Robert 
G. Hanna, Martin Poor, William Scurlock, Stephen Martin. George 
W. Hale, Christopher Long, Peter Williams, Wm. Ware, John 
McNutt, John Dickerson, Joshua Perry, William J. Stephenson, 
James Ward, Benjamin Long. 

JAMESTOWN CEMETERY— This cemetery derives its name 
from Major John James, on whose land it was laid out. lie lies 
buried in it, his grave being on the Indian mound in the cemetery. 
There were three of these mounds originally, the three marking the 
angles of a triangle. The one in the cemetery is but lit He changed. 
The other, standing near William Warnecke's barn, is about the 
same size. The third stood in Joseph Watson's lot. and was re- 
moved by him about twenty years ago. He found in it a number 
of darts and arrow heads, some bones, ashes, and a piece of chaired 
wood. It is very appropriate that the remains of Major .lames, 
who was a famous Indian scout, should have been interred in an 
Indian mound. The inscription on his monument is as follows: 

"John James departed this life May 31, 1854, aged 81 years, 



156 History of Jackson Countv. 

11 months, 17 days. The deceased was born in Connecticut June 
14, 1772, came to Point Harmar, Ohio, 1788, and to this county 
in 1807; was a member of the Methodist church 40 years, and died 
the Christian's death." 

He was the grandfather of Warden James, and a number of 
other prominent citizens of the county. 

The first person buried in this cemetery was Elizabeth C. 
Darling, a daughter of Timothy Darling and his wife. The latter 
was Elizabeth Cook, and was a sister of Nancy Cook, the wife 
of Major John James. 

THE MARTIN MOUND— This mound was perhaps the most 
peculiar in the county in one respect. After Jefferson Furnace 
was built, some parties dug into it and discovered that it had been 
built of blocks of ore and covered with earth. The ore was taken 
out and hauled to the Furnace. There were some 15 tons of it. It 
is much to be regretted, that no effort was made to open the mound 
scientifically. Valuable remains or relics might have been found in 
it, but I have failed to learn that any were found. The presence 
of the blocks of iron ore and flmt in the mound would indicate that 
the structure belonged to the house mound class. It is probable 
that others of the kind exist in the township, and when they are 
discovered, the owner should have them opened according to the 
plan laid down by archaeologists. 

BURNING OF THE COURT HOUSE— The first court house 
burned down September 20, 1860, and the following account of the 
fire appeared in The Standard: 

On last Friday, at 1 o'clock, a fire broke out in that part of 
the Franklin House, occupied as a residence by John Rapp. It 
is supposed that the fire caught from the stove flue. The Franklin 
house was in a sheet of flame in a few minutes. Great exertions 
were made to save the next building, the residence of Abraham 
French, but all in vain. The fire swept on, taking in its course the 
store room and residence of 1>. F. Thompson, the grocery store of 



History of Jackson County. 157 

Henry Barlow, the saddler shop of D. W. YVinfough, the residence 
of John Stephenson, the grocery store of Meacham ..V. (iibson, the 
residence of E. D. Meacham, and the book store of R. Harding. 
The goods and furniture were mostly removed and saved, although 
some were taken into the street and took fire from the flying cin- 
ders, and were consumed. The flames were arrested at Broadway 
stree, by pulling down the corner building, occupied by Meacham 
& Gibson. 

About the time that the flames reached the corner, it was dis- 
covered that the cupola of the court house was on fire. The roof 
of the building soon caught, and all the wood work was consumed. 
The books and papers were removed from the public offices, and 
the roof of the clerk's office was at one time in flames. This build- 
ing was at this time abandoned; but the heated and wearied men 
again rallied, and by the most daring efforts, the building was 
saved. 

It has been thought by some, that the court house might have 
been saved; but it must be recollected that The fire caught in a 
place that could not be reached with the means at hand, and 
that every one, men and women, had fought the flames until ex- 
hausted. If we had been in possession of a short ladder, and the 
means of securing the foot of it on the slanting roof, we might 
have reached the fire; but we were destitute of these; and in the 
excitement the loss of a very few minutes was fatal to the old 
court house. 

The whole of that part of Main street from Portsmouth to 
Broadway, is swept clean. The buildings were old frames, and 
not worth much. The entire loss will probably not exceed $10,000. 
There was no insurance except on Mr. Winfough's saddler shop, 
which was insured in the Aetna, for $400. Those who owned the 
buildings destroyed, were John Burnsides, A. French, John L. 
Long, D. W. Winfough, John Stephenson and S. G. Montgomery. 

MACKLEY'S RECOLLECTIONS— The following extracts 
from Davis Mackley's "Random Notes" deserve a place here. 

I found the first records of the county commissioners in two- 



158 History of Jackson County. 

old books, one indexed, and the other not. They are almost iden- 
tical, and contain a plain and simple history of the transactions 
as they occurred, without any reference to the forms of book- 
keeping. These records commence in the spring of 1816, and the 
commissioners had frequent meetings. Nathaniel W. Andrews 
"was their clerk. 

The amount of taxes collected in Jackson county yearly, for 
a number of years, was less than |1,000. The principal items of 
expense consisted of jury and election expenses, and the cost of 
laying out and establishing roads. During the first year the com- 
missioners passed an order paying one dollar for each wolf scalp, 
where the wolf was under six months old, and two dollars where 
the wolf was over that age. This was subsequently raised to $1.50 
and |3.00. The records show considerable sums paid out for wolf 
scalps during the ten or twelve years subsequent to the year 
1816. Tliis may sound strangely to the people of this day; but 
J can remember of hearing wolves howl at night, in Jefferson 
township, as late as the year 1834. They destroyed large numbers 
of sLeep and young cattle, and it became a public benefit to de- 
stroy them ; hence the premium paid by the public for their 
destruction. 

The affairs of the county in the early days were conducted 
upon very economical principles, but honesty among the public 
officers was remarkable. True, there was but little to steal, and 
of course the temptation was small. Few officers were then 
elected by the people. The theory of the early officers of this 
county appeared to be, that when an officer was found capable 
and faithful, he was kept in office. Hence such men as Daniel 
Hoffman, Alexander Miller, Joseph Armstrong, Samuel Carrick, 
and a few others, have their names upon the records as public 
officers during a long space of time, and their accounts always 
appear correct. I wish I could say as much for some of the officers 
whose names appear at a later period. But let that pass. * * * 

A family named Darling came from the state of New York, 
Cattaraugus county, about this time, and settled in the vicinity 
of Oak Hill. They were Baptists. Isaac Darling brought the 



History of Jackson County. 159 

first cast iron plow that was ever seen in that region. Before 
that time the old bar shear plow, with the wooden mould board 
was the only one. save the shovel plow. My father borrowed 
Darling's plow, and he liked it so well that he bought it, giving 
$6 for it. The neighbors borrowed it all around. Matt Farley, 
who resided three miles from where we did, and near where 
Monroe Furnace is now located, borrowed it, and he carried it 
on his shoulder all the way without laying it down, although it 
weighed 80 pounds. 

This was a pretty hard way of getting along, but there were 
greater hardships and privations than this. 1 knew a boy who 
attended the first Sabbath school, with whom I was quite in- 
timate. The hat he wore to this Sabbath school was the first 
one he ever had that was bought at a store, and he earned the 
money paid for it by cutting cord-wood at 25 cents per cord. The 
hat was a common wool hat, and cost $1.25. He kept it and had 
it look well, from 1830 to 1834, when he worked at the furnace and 
.got money to buy his first fur hat. He killed squirrels and tanned 
their skins and of these made his own shoes. He took the insoles 
of his winter shoes for soles. He dug a trough in a poplar log, 
cut up black oak bark, and thus was his own tanner, as well as 
shoemaker. Squirrel skins, when tanned, and then blacked with 
copperas, made fine, nice leather. This boy became so careful of 
his hats, thus acquired by so great an effort, that to this day he 
never wears out a hat, but has it looking neat when it goes out 
of fashion. He once showed me a lot of hats of all styles, from 
the bell crown to the sugar loaf, which had become unfashion- 
able by lapse of time. * * * 

1 stopped under a great oak tree in the creek bottom to rest. 
In this creek, I saw Levi McDaniel baptize several persons, in the 
summer of 1833. On the bank grew a bush that leaned over the 
creek. A boy climbed upon this bush, in order the better to see 
the baptizing. His weight loosened the roots, and he fell on his 
back in the middle of the stream. The bush was across his breast, 
and he held on to it, kicking and splashing the water. A little 
girl came to these baptizings whose name was Darling. She wore 



160 History of Jackson County. 

a "calash" or bellows bonnet. She would throw it back on her 
shoulders. 

Levi McDaniel's father, James McD'aniel, was one of the first 
justices of the peace in Jackson county. When I was a small 
boy, he taught school in a little log house in the woods, just north 
of where Gallia and Washington stations are now located. Mr. 
McDaniel was an old man, with long white hair, and he was stoop- 
shouldered with age. He thought a great deal of me, and bor- 
rowed the life of George Buchanan, the King's Fool, for me to 
read. Mr. McDaniel would go to sleep in school, and we boys 
would have our pockets full of buckeyes, and when our old 
teacher was asleep we would cover them in the hot embers. When 
they became heated they would burst, with a report half as loud 
as a pistol. 

Just above where I now write, once stood the old log school 
house where I went to school to John McKenzie, Willis C. Wil- 
more, James Kelly and John Shumate. At Christmas the large 
boys and young men would "bar out" the teacher, and make him 
treat. My parents would not let me go, as I was too small. One 
winter I cried and begged to be permitted to go. At last my 
father took me up on his horse and went with me. There was 
a great crowd around the house, and the teacher had procured 
a jug of whisky at a little distillery kept by George Crump, a 
short distance below the school house. All were drinking and 
having a good time generally. 

All the men who lived 35 years ago along the route of my 
walk of to-day, are gone. Not one remains. Then there were 
John and Matt Farley, Robert Massie, George Crump, Moses 
Massie, Jesse Kelly, Levi McDaniel, Solomon Mackley, my uncle, 
William and John Walton, James Kelly, etc. But I mistake. One 
man remains. Joseph Phillips then lived here, and I saw him 
to-day. Speaking of my uncle, reminds me of the horse mill he 
had on the hill between Portland and Jefferson Furnace. Here 
we boys would come to mill, and we had to stay and keep our 
horses there, or lose our turn. I have stayed there two days and 



History of Jackson County. 161 



one night before my turn came. I have seen as many as 30 horses 
there at one time. * * * 

I do not know how fast a tame turkey can run in the night; 
but I know a wild turkey can outrun a man in daylight. I have 
often started up a flock of wild turkeys when hunting. 1 would 
run after them to try to get a shot at them. If I did not shoot 
at once, they would soon be out of sight, so much could they out- 
run me. 

When I was a boy, wild turkeys were quite plenty in this 
county. They were nice and fat in the winter. We had as many 
as we wanted. We caught them in pens made of fence rails. A 
trench some 15 feet long was dug, sloping gradually down from 
both ends. Then a rail pen was built about three feet high, and 
covered on the top with rails. One side of the pen was? built 
directly across the middle of the trench. On the inside a few 
boards were laid across the trench, next the rails of the pen. 
Then corn would be scattered about the fields, and a trail of corn 
leading to the pen. Corn was thickly scattered in the trench 
and in the pen. The turkeys, finding the corn, would follow the 
same to 1he pen, and picking up the corn in the trench, would walk 
right through it, into the pen. When they wanted out, they al- 
ways looked up, running their heads between the rails. They 
never once thought of looking down for the trench. 

When I was a small boy I went one morning with my father 
to a turkey pen, some half a mile from the house, in an old field. 
Jt had six large turkeys in it. He took one out for me to carry 
home. When he went to wring its neck, I begged to carry it alive. 
I found that it was all I wanted to carry when dead, and if I had 
undertaken to carry it alive, it would have got away from me at 
the first effort it made. 

I was very fond of hunting pheasants when a boy. They are 
good eating, especially the breast. If I heard a pheasant drum- 
ming I was almost sure of it. They are a strange fowl. When 
drumming, they get upon an old log, in a thicket of bushes. They 
strike their wings against their sides three times in rapid sue- 



162 History of Jackson County. 



cession, then make a short pause, when they commence striking 
slowly, getting faster until it ends in a roar. The whole opera- 
tion does not last over half a minute. I have often heard the 
drumming of a pheasant one mile. It sounds almost exactly like 
distant thunder. It was always a mystery to me how the light 
wings and soft feathery sides of this little fowl, less than the 
common hen, could make so tremendous a sound. 

When I heard a pheasant drumming, I would go towards it 
until nearly in sight. They drum about once in five minutes. I 
would listen, and get the exact locality, then commence a circle 
around it. As long as you go around a pheasant, it will sit still 
and watch you; but to go towards it, it will fly at once. No 
matter how much noise is made in the brush, while going fast 
around it, there is no danger of its flying. I would go on until 
within 20 or 30 feet, and having my gun ready, would shoot its 
head off. Some times I would miss. The pheasant would gen- 
erally sit still, and I would commence circling around it, reload- 
ing my gun as I went. This may seem small sport to the old 
hunter, who has been in the habit of killing bears, and wolves, 
and panthers, and deer; but turkeys and pheasants were the best 
game we had. True, there were a good many deer, but they were 
so wild that only the experienced hunters could kill them. * * » 

Opossums were very plenty in this county in early days, 
and were very troublesome to the farmers, stealing and killing 
their chickens whenever they could get an opportunity. For this 
they were hunted and killed. The best way to kill them was to 
cut their heads off with an ax. There may be a few of this animal 
yet remaining in this county; but like the wild turkeys and pig- 
eons, they will soon be all gone. 

Eaccoons were formerly very plenty in this county, and a few 
yet remain. They did a great deal of mischief to the corn in the 
summer, eating it, and breaking it down. We often hunted them 
of nights. They would come into the corn fields soon after dark. 
Then we would send in our trained dogs. The raccoon would seek 
refuge on the largest tree it could find. A trained raccoon dog 
lias a peculiar kind of bark when he trees the animal, which the 



History ok Jackson County . 163 

hunter at once recognizes. If the tree was not too large, we at 
once cut it down. The dogs would be ready near where it would 
fall, and rarely missed catching and killing the raccoon at once. 
If the tree was very large, we would build a fire, roast the green 
corn, tell stories, and thus amuse ourselves until daylight, when 
we would shoot the raccoon, and thus save the labor of cutting 
the tree down. 



PKICE'S RECOLLECTIONS— The following reminiscences 
of 1*. P. Price, the last Whig postmaster of Jackson, tell the story 
of the company of volunteers organized in this city for the Mex- 
ican war: .&* 

"I was born at Louisburg, in Greenbrier county, Virginia, on 
July 20, 1820. My father's name was Isaac Price and my grand- 
father was named Jacob Price. He was a soldier in the Revo- 
lutionary war, for which services he received a pension in later 
years. He died in Pike county in this state. My father, Isaac 
Price, was a soldier' in the War of 1812. About 1825 he left 
Virginia and cam" to Ohio. He came down the Kanawha and 
then to Oallipolis. He stopped first near Beavertown in Pike 
county, having passed through this town. Later he settled at 
Piketon. I began to learn the trade of hatter at Piketon, but 
when I was 17, I went to Chillicothe where I finished. I remem- 
ber my experiences at Chillicothe very distinctly. One night in 
1838, I went to a political meeting at a little brick school house 
on Bank alley, running from Second street to Water street. There 
I heard Allen G. Thurman make a speech and I was told that it 
was his first effort. I remember the Harrison meeting in 1840. 
The people came by thousands and the parade was very long. 
Tom Corwin spoke. Another time, I went to hear Thomas L. 
Hamer, who was afterward killed in the Mexican war. I once 
heard Richard M. Johnson, who was vice president under Van 
Buren, and who was a candidate with him again in 1840. I came 
to Jackson in January, 1842, and started a hatter's shop. My 
shop stood just across the alley west of .the Pickrel building 
Joseph Throckmorton had a shoe shop in the same building. I 



164 History of Jackson County. 

soon began to keep a supply of boots and shoes in addition to my 
stock of hats and caps. About 1841, I turned my store into a gen- 
eral store. Throckmorton left and Moses Sternberger moved in r 
he occupying one side of the room and I the other. I was single 
then and boarded at the McQuality house. Levi Dungan was one 
of my fellow boarders. The room now occupied by N. Downey 
was then the parlor. McQuality was county treasurer. He also 
had a little store. He kept his store in a little frame house east 
of his hotel. It stood where the brick house adjoining the old hotel 
now stands. I remember some of McQuality's family distinctly. 
Three of the girls were Mary Ann, Eliza and Electa. Mary Ann 
became the wife of James Cadot, of Scioto county. I think Mc- 
Quality had two sons, James and William. I was a Whig. In 
1844, when Clay and Freylinghuysen ran, I was a member of the 
Whig central committee. The other members were William 
Cissna and William McKinniss. There was no paper published 
then in Jacksn county. I was a member of the M. E. church here. 
Rev. Jacob Westfall was pastor in charge and Rev. C. H. Warren 
was junior pastor. I remember making a hat for him. He was 
a gentleman well liked by all on account of his amiability. School 
had been taught here before I came, in a little school house built 
of poles. It stood on the triangle near where the Lutheran 
church is now. Levi Dungan taught there. A man by the name 
of Thornton taught there also before I came here. We called 
that part of town Ford's hill then. It was so called because a 
preacher named Ford lived on the road that passed over the hill. 
There was a school taught after that in a little building standing 
near where the National bank is now. It was taught by a lady. 
The Isham house had not been built then. A small brick build- 
ing stood on its site owned by Chapman Isham and he had a store 
in it. I think a part of the walls of this brick were used when 
the Isham house was built. I was a member of a company raised 
for the Mexican war. William Cissna and myself had been aides 
of General Hamilton of this military district in the old militia, 
and we tried to organize a company here. We secured only a 
part of one however. Gabriel Andrews was one of the men. 
Another that I remember was Sam Pike, who did a little Job print- 



History of Jackson County. 165 

ing. From here we went to Piketon, where we made up the com- 
pany. William Cissna was elected captain and I was chosen one 
of the lieutenants. We went from Piketon to Portsmouth in an 
old corn boat, traveling on the canal. It rained nearly all the 
way and we had a disagreeable time. The boys got to playing 
once and one of them slipped off into the canal just in front of 
the boat, but he was rescued before the boat passed over him. We 
had to stay several weeks at Portsmouth while General Hamil- 
ton went to Cincinnati to get us accepted. He got his company 
accepted, but our company was discharged and we had to get 
back to Jackson the best we could. I think this company was 
raised here in 1847. Martin Stallings, of this county, had gone 
out before. He was wounded in the war. Shortly after our re- 
turn, Captain Cissna was married to a daughter of David Mitchel. 
I was at the wedding. I think MitchePs house stood on the Chil- 
licothe road. I remember that the boys got to shooting after the 
wedding, and several horses got scared and broke loose, creating 
considerable excitement. 

The campaign of 1848 was an exciting one. I remember we 
had a great meeting here, one of the features of which was a 
parade. In the parade we had a large mechanics' wagon. Kiding 
on it were several mechanics all at work. I was working on a 
hat. After Taylor was elected in 1848, I was appointed postmas- 
ter of Jackson. I think I entered upon my duties about July 1, 
1849. I kept the oftice at my store at the corner just across the 
alley from the Pickrel building. About 1852 I built a part of 
what is now 'Rat Row' and moved my store and the postoffice 
there. My partner's name was John S. Taylor and our store was 
the fourth door from the corner. There was no fence around the 
Public square then and the public used to drive down between 
the old court house and the log jail. I soon grew tired of the 
postoffice because it required me to keep a clerk. When Pierce 
was elected I resigned. My first letter of resignation was not 
accepted and I had to write a second. Finally Steele was ap- 
pointed and he removed the office to the parlor of the old Mc- 
Quality house, which Steele had purchased. Later, I sold out to 
my partner, Taylor, and purchased the stock of James Dyer, who 



166 History of Jackson County. 

had his store in a small building standing at the Commercial Bank 
corner. Afterward I moved to a building where Hugh Crossin's 
building now stands. I remember that father used to catch wild 
turkeys in rail pens when we lived at Beavertown. The country 
was then full of deer and all game. The salt wells were not used 
when I came to Jackson. They were thick on the Salt creek 
bottom from Lackey's farm to the Bunns, but were beginning to 
till up. Walker Bennett, the banker, used to bathe in a well near 
where the Baler works are. Coal had been discovered here before 
I came. It was found in a well which was put down near where 
the Crescent Opera House is now. Powell, a Welshman, had 
a tailor shop there, and the well was near the shop. The exist- 
ence of coal under the town was well known in 1842. I remem- 
ber the big flood in 1847, and I saw the man drowned on the 
Athens road near the Tropic furnace. George L. Crookkam, I 
knew well. He used to sit down to read in the postofflce. He 
took many papers, one of which 'was the National Era. 1 remem- 
ber the great fire in 1860. Fire caught in the cupola of the old 
court house from a building standing near where the Iron bank 
is now. 

I remember of going with a party to a place about one mile 
west of Jackson to a pigeon roost. We had pine torches. There 
were so many pigeons at the roost that limbs of trees would 
break down under their weight. We climbed them and knocked 
them down in great numbers. What a fluttering there was. The 
roost covered about four acres. We would knock down the birds 
with poles, put them in sacks and bring them to Jackson. If 
we could have sold them we would have been made rich, but the 
buyers were few and they had no money. I remember that an 
old man from Fairfield county told me that he once hauled a bar^ 
rel of salt from Jackson to his home in Fairfield county on a sled. 
The distance is from 65 to 70 miles. 

THE FIRST RAILROAD— Jackson county is largely what 
the railroads have made it, for its mineral wealth would never 
have been developed without them. Only Jackson, Keystone and 



History of Jackson County 167 

Buckeye furnaces had been built before the railroad. The first 
was not far from the Little Scoto, while the others were on the 
Little Raccoon and could ship their product by water direct. It 
is doubtful whether they would have been built, had it not been 
proposed to establish slack water navigation on the Raccoon. The 
"Raccoon Navigation company," consisting of James Riggs, Nich- 
olas Thevenin, Alexander Williams, James Lewis, Charles Giles, 
Joseph S. Coombs, A. Bentley and Moses R. Matthews, was in- 
corporated for that purpose, February 4, 1848, with a capital 
stock of $100,000. The commissioners of Gallia, Jackson and 
Athens counties were authorized to subscribe to said stock "any 
amount not exceeding $20,000 each." A survey was made, but 
the probability of the early building of the Iron railroad killed 
the enterprise. 

One of the most important events in the history of the 
county was the coming of Professor William Williams Mather in 
1838. To him must be given the credit for bringing to the atten- 
tion of capitalists, its great mineral wealth, and for taking the 
first important step toward its development. Mather was a de- 
scendant of Cotton Mather and was born at Brooklyn, Ct, May 
4, 1804. He graduated from West Point and remained in the 
army until 1836, when he resigned to come to Ohio to take charge 
of the first Geological survey. He began the work in June, 1837, 
assisted by Caleb Briggs, Jr. The work was suspended in a few 
months, but not until Mather had made a practical survey of 
Athens, Hocking, Jackson, Scioto, Lawrence and Gallia counties. 
Frances Mather, a sister of the geologist, was the wife of Rev. 
David C. Bolles, of Licking county. Bolles invested largely in 
Jackson county mineral lands in the early part of 1838, and soon 
moved his family here. Mather bought a tract of land from 
Bolles, February 22, 1838, and moved his family here from Co- 
lumbus later in the year. Mather and Caleb Briggs, jr., assistant 
on the survey, bought a second tract from Bolles, which included 
a coal mine. While living in this county Mather discovered the 
great possibilities of this mineral region, and began to devise a 
plan for developing it. He associated himself with a number of 



168 History of Jackson County. 

capitalists and organized the "Ohio Iron Manufacturing Com- 
pany'' to manufacture iron, glass, pottery and fire brick, make 
salt and saw marble. The company was incorporated March 6, 
1845, with a capital of $300,000. It was to begin operations within 
three years and to build a furnace in Jackson county within six 
years. It was authorized to build a railroad from said furnace to 
the Ohio river, the Ohio canal, the Hocking canal or all of them. 
It was empowered also to build furnaces in Athens, Gallia, Law- 
rence and Scioto counties. This brilliant scheme never material- 
ized, although Mather and a company built the Oak Ridge fur- 
nace in Lawrence county; but it called the attention of capitalists 
to our resources. Mather was more a student than a business 
man, and he succeeded better as professor at Marietta and the 
Ohio university, than in building furnaces. He died of heart 
disease at Columbus, February 26, 1859. Rev. Bolles, his brother- 
in-law, had died within two years of his removal to this county. 
His monument stood in the old Presbyterian cemetery and bore 
the following inscription only 

"Sacred to the memory of Rev. David C. Bolles, who died 
April 20, 1840, aged 47 years.'' 

Briggs, mentioned above, settled in Lawrence county and be- 
came a member of the "Ohio Iron & Coal company,'' which laid 
out Ironton. He was a native of North Rochester, Massachusetts, 
where he was born May 24, 1812. He died at Ironton, September 
24, 1884. 

The example of Mather in organizing the "Ohio Iron Manu- 
facturing Company" was followed with better success, by the 
promoters of the "Ohio Iron & Coal company," incorporated March 
23, 1849. It consisted of John Campbell, Joseph W. Dempsey, 
Henry Blake, James O. Williams, Caleb Briggs, James W. Means, 
John Ellison, George Steece and James A. Richey, and was or- 
ganized to develop the resources of Lawrence county. Its incor- 
porators contemplated the building of a railroad beginning at the 
Ohio river in Upper township, Lawrence county, and penetrating 
the iron region to the north, but the building of this railroad was 



History of Jackson County. 169 

Jeft to another company organized under the following act, passed 
March 7, 1849. 

AN ACT TO INCORPORATE THE IRON RAILROAD 
COMPANY. 

Sec. 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State 
of Ohio, That James Rogers, Robert B. Hamilton, Hiram Camp- 
bell, Henry Blake, John Peters, J. Culbertson, William D. Kelley, 
Anderson Dempsey and John E. Clark, of the county of Law- 
rence; and Daniel Hoffman, George P. Rogers and John Adair, of 
the county of Jackson, are hereby created a body corporate, with 
perpetual succession, by the name of the Iron Railroad company, 
with power to construct a railroad from the Ohio river, in Upper 
township, in Lawrence county, to the south line of Jackson 
county, with the right at their discretion of continuing it in a 
northerly direction, to the line of the Belpre & Cincinnati Rail- 
road company. 

Sec. 2. The capital stock of said company may be an amount 
not exceeding |50(),000. 

Sec. 3. The said company shall have all the power, and be sub- 
ject to all the restrictions and provisions of the act regulating 
railroad companies, passed February 11, 1848. 

An act was passed March 7, 1850, authorizing the commis- 
sioners of Jackson county to subscribe $100,000 to the capital 
stock of this railroad, and the matter was submitted to a popular 
vote at the spring election, held April 1, 1850, with the follow- 
ing result: v 

For subscription, 1,128; against subscription, 37b'. The strong- 
est opposition was in Bloomfield, where the vote stood 114 to 
106. The citizens of Bloomfield have nearly always taken a similar 
stand on other questions, especially that of pike building. 

The promoters of the Iron railroad failed to push their enter- 
prise and their procrastination proved fatal, as far as Jackson 
count}' was concerned. It happened in this way. The boom in 
Lawrence county had aroused the people of Portsmouth. The re- 



170 History of Jackson County. 

suit was the incorporation of the "Scioto & Hocking Valley Rail- 
road company," February 20, 1849, with a capital stock of 
$200,000. The Portsmouth promoters were B. F. Conway, Joshua 
V. Robinson, C. A. M. Damarin, Peter Kinney and John Mc- 
Dowell. The proposed road was to run from Portsmouth to New- 
ark by the way of Piketon, Chillicothe, Circleville and Lancaster. 
Unfortunately for the enterprise, Scioto and Pike counties refused 
to subscribe to its capital stock, and the proposed route had to be 
abandoned. Portsmouth was too anxious for a railroad to let the 
matter drop, and its capitalists began to covet the fl00,000 sub- 
scription by Jackson county to the Iron railroad. The Scioto & 
Hocking Valley officials went to work and secured $128,000 from 
Portsmouth. They then proposed to build the railroad through 
Jackson, if the county would transfer to them the money sub- 
scribed to the Iron railroad. The proposition was favorably re- 
ceived. Portsmouth was already a town of importance, and im- 
mediate communication with it, was more to be desired than de- 
ferred communication with Ironton, the terminus of the Iron 
railroad, a mere hamlet at that time. Before the transfer could 
be made, Jackson county had to be relieved of liability to the 
Iron railroad. This relief was secured March 20, 1851, by the 
repeal of the act, authorizing the commissioners to subscribe to 
that road. The commissioners were assured of the result and had 
already made the subscription. The following journal entry tells 
the story: 

March 18, 1851. — The Honorable John Callaghan, John S. 
Stephenson, and Moses Hays, commissioners of Jackson county 
present, met for the purpose of a subscription of $100,000 to the 
Hocking & Scioto railroad, to be raised by the taxpayers of Jack- 
son county to pay the interest on the loan for 15 years, when the 
county pays the principal and interest, if any there be. To which 
a borrow of that was negotiated. 

The transfer of this subscription had a vital bearing on the 
after history of Jackson county. It built Oak Hill mostly in Jef- 
ferson township instead of in the "flatwoods" of Madison. It 
gave birth to Berlin and Wellston and deferred the development 



History of Jackson County. 171 

of Jackson and Washington townships 30 years. It knit a bond, 
political as well as commercial, between Jackson and Scioto, in- 
stead of Jackson and Lawrence. 

The first work on the road was done in Scioto county in 1850, 
but operations did not begin in earnest until Jackson county had 
made its subscription. The contract for building the first five 
miles south of Jackson was awarded immediately afterward, the 
contractors being Henry and Lawrence Myers. They came here 
from Maine. Henry was married here to Electa McQuality, a 
daughter of James McQuality, who lived so many years on Main 
street. The first load of ties was delivered on this section April 
1, 1851, and occasioned" this local: 

The work on the railroad near this place has commenced in 
real earnest. The merry sons of the Emerald Isle are pouring 
in in goodly numbers and the digging has actually commenced. 
—Standard, May 22, 1851. 

Work at the Scioto end of the road had already been con- 
tracted for to within two miles of Webster. There was left a link 
of nineteen miles to connect with the section of the Myers Bros. 
The contract for this link was awarded June 1, 1851. The greater 
part of the grading of the road was completed by August, 1852, 
and tracklaying began at Portsmouth. Fourteen miles of track 
were laid before December 1, 1852. The track into Jackson county 
was laid shortly afterward, and the new era began. 

THE FIKST BANK— The breath of coining prosperity 
reached Jackson in 1851. Laborers came to build the railroad, 
merchants came to share the increased business, and the natives 
awakened from a lethargy of half a century. These causes gave 
birth to a bank. The necessity for it had become apparent, and 
its organization was hastened by the following editorial: 

There is perhaps no place in Ohio where there is greater need 
of a bank than in our own county. We have heard a good deal of 
talk about making an effort to organize a bank here. We pre- 
sume there will be but little difficulty in raising tne requisite 



172 History of Jackson County. 

amount of capital. Nothing but a want of concert of action on the 
part of those interested prevents the speedy organization of a 
bank in this place. Will not the friends of the measure meet 
together and consult about the matter — Standard, May 22, 1851. 

The "friends of the measure" got together, and before long 
the following card appeared in the Standard: 

CITIZENS' BANK— Bennett & Co. have established a bank 
in Jackson, and are prepared to loan money on short time, in 
large or small sums, upon approved security, and also purchase 
good negotiable paper and county orders on favorable terms. 
Office for the present over the auditor's office. Bank open from 
10 o'clock a. m. to 12 m. 

August 7, 1851. J. W. LAIRD, Cashier. 

Bennett & Co. consisted of Walker Bennett, T. E. Stanley, J. 
M. Steele. James Parrar and J. W. Laird. T. R. Stanley had been 
prosecuting attorney, and the bank opened for business in his 
office. The building stood on the east side of the Court House 
and belonged to the county. It was two stories high. Avith two 
rooms and a hall on each floor. 

THE MATHER CEMETERY— Prof. W. W. Mather was ap- 
pointed to begin the geological survey of Ohio in 1S37. This work 
brought him to Jackson county, and after the work on the survey 
was discontinued in 1S3S, he settled in Jackson. The family 
boarded at tirst with Mr. Jacob Westfall. Mather soon purchased 
the land of Rev. David C. Bolles on Salt creek, and erected a fine 
residence for those times. The mansion stood on a slope over- 
looking Salt Creek valley, and not far from the top of the hill 
where the cemetery is now. It was a picturesque spot then, when 
tlif virgin forest had not yet been touched, but it must have been 
a very lonesome place for a family that had lived in cities. The 
house was removed years ago by W. W. Pierce, who purchased the 
land from Prof. Mather, but the cellar and well still remain. The 
cellar seems to have been under the whole house. The well is 



Histoky ok Jackson County. 173 



about one hundred feet deep and no water was found. Later, 
water gathered in it, and now stands at about sixty feet. The 
survivors of the old orchard are scattered about, and all goes to 
show that Prof. Mather endeavored to secure for his family all 
the comforts of the times. 

Here the family lived for about ten years. Then death came, 
and Mrs. Mather was taken. Upon her death Prof. Mather laid 
out a cemetery upon the point overlooking the mansion and deeded 
it to the township. In a year or two afterward, he removed to 
live in Columbus, where he died in 1851) of heart disease. The 
inscription on Mrs. Mather's tombstone is as follows: 

"Here lie the earthly remains of Emily Maria Mather, wife 
of William W. Mather, who died November 19, 1850, aged 40 years. 
A triumphant death in the firm unwavering faith and Christian 
hope of eternal life in heaven. She was a good wife, a kind neigh- 
for, a tender mother and a faithful Christian." 

On the north side of her grave lie the remains of her infants. 
The inscriptions on the stones are as follows: 

"Cotton Mather, infant son of W. W. and E. M. Mather, 
died 1849." 

"Increase Mather, infant son of W. W. and E. M. Mather, 
died 1840." 

Among the other graves is that of Jonathan Walden, who 
died January 13, 1857, aged 51 years, 1 month and 25 days; that 
of Mrs. Jane Milliken, who died November 23, 1868, aged 80 years, 
4 months and 20 days, and that of John Finn, who died October 
13, 1864. 

MT. ZION CEMETERY— This cemetery was deeded to the 
M. E. church by James R. Meacham in 1843. He was born in Mont- 
gomery county, Virginia, January 17, 18(10, and came to this 
county in 1834. He was the son of Elijah Meacham, who was 
born and died in Virginia, dying at the age of 102 years, of heart 
disease, never having been ill an hour all his life. 



174 History of Jackson County. 

The first person buried in this cemetery was Thomas Oliver, 
a revolutionary soldier. He died February 23, 1844, aged 80 years, 
4) months and 13 days. Hiram Oliver, of the Ninety-first Ohio 
Volunteer Infantry, is his only surviving son. Following is a list 
of other veterans buried in it: James M, son of B. and C. Arthur, 
died April 21, 1891, aged 56 years and 13 days. James Walker, 
died September 1, 1881, aged 65 years, 9 months and 12 days; 
member of Company K, Fifty-sixth Ohio volunteer infantry. 

The following are the inscriptions on the monuments of six 
pioneers buried here: "Benjamin Branscomb, died January 1-, 
1862, aged 69 years and 26 days." "Mother Tabitha, wife of B. 
Branscomb, died December 10, 1891, aged 95 years." "Joseph Wil- 
son, died May 26, 1871, aged 86 years, 1 month, 9 days." "Jane, 
wife of J. Wilson, died June 10, 1873, aged 82 years, 4 months and 
16 days." "Mary Hunsinger, died December 12, 1863, aged 61 
years." "Samuel Hunsinger, died January 12, 1869, aged 72 years, 
2 months and 23 days." 

AN OLD TIME WEDDING— The following account of a 
wedding in the backwoods was written by Davis Mackley, in 1873: 

It was perhaps as early as 1826 that old George Corn settled 
on the hill about a mile south of the place where Jefferson Furnace 
is now located. He came from Old Virginia, and he had been a 
soldier in the war of the Revolution. He had been married twice, 
and he had a large family. I have often heard him remark that he 
was the father of twenty children. He was a small man, but his 
sons were all remarkably stout, healthy men. William Corn, one 
of his sons, married Polly Massie, a daughter of Robbin Massie, and 
Peter Corn married Rebecca, another daughter, while Big Jep, their 
brother, married Lucy Corn. 

It had been known in the neighborhood for some time that Big 
Jep and Lucy were going to be married, and as our family and the 
Corns and Classics were on very friendly terms, we were all in- 
vited to the wedding. We went soon after breakfast, and found 
the women busily engaged in making arrangements for dinner. 



History of Jackson County. 175 

It was about a mile from George Corn's residence to that of Robbin 
Massie, the path running along the top of a ridge the most of the 
way. About eleven o'clock we heard a shout a distance of half a 
mile down the ridge, and soon we heard the clatter of horses' feet, 
and here came two men, their horses at full speed. The men had 
red spotted cotton handkerchiefs bound around their heads, and 
they were leaning forward, their faces nearly on the necks of the 
horses. As there was only a narrow path through the woods, the 
man who got before had much the advantage, as it was somewhat 
difficult for one horse to pass the other; but about a hundred yards 
from the fence, the hindmost man struck through the woods, and 
his horse jumped over a large log, and he struck in ahead of the 
other, and secured the bottle in much triumph. The people at the 
house were all standing out waiting and watching. One of them 
held out the bottle to the successful horseman, who took it and 
both trotted their horses back until they met the wedding party, 
consisting of about forty persons, men and women, Big Jep and his 
" attendance " being in front. The bottle passed all the way back 
along the people, each taking a taste of the whisky it contained. 
The bottle was what is called a decanter, holding about a quart, 
and having flanges around the neck and mouth. It was dressed off 
with red, white and blue ribbon. The wedding party then rode up 
to the house. The fence was torn down, and they all rode around 
the house three times, when they alighted and went in. Big Jep 
shook hands with Lucy and took a seat by her side, and in a short 
time they were married. Big Jep was a fine looking man. He must 
have been six feet, three or four inches high, straight and well 
made. He was a very quiet man, and an inoffensive, good citizen. 

I wall not describe the manner in which the parties were 
dressed, nor the dinner. The afternoon and night were enjoyed by 
all. Everybody appeared to be in a good humor. The old men sat 
out on logs near the house, and told stories about Indian wars, bear 
hunts, etc. The young folks as now, said and did many things that 
were not the most wise; but young folks will have their ways. I 
remember one performance which interested me, and the other 
little boys immensely. Pete Corn went through a performance 



176 History ok Jackson County. 

which he called " Pattin' Juber." He slapped both hands on his 
thighs in rapid succession, patted his feet, whistled and groaned 
all at once, and in regular time, while a lot of young folks danced 
to this original music. 

WELLSTON'S BEGINNING— The following graphic letter 
from the pen of Coates Kinney appeared in the Cincinnati Commer- 
cial, and is too good to be forgotten: 

Wellston, Jackson Co., O., Dec. 20, 1873. 
Wellston is as yet a mere geographical expression. There is 
no town of that name. The place is at this writing only a town-site. 
Butj in view of the prospective certainty that before the close of 
1874 there will be at least three or four hundred houses here, I 
think I may be allowed the (geographical) expression to date a 
letter from it, giving your readers some facts about the region 
whose soil is to evolve this sudden town, with yet greater wonders 
of wealth, from its bosom. 

The Portsmouth branch of the Marietta and Cincinnati rail- 
road, which extends from Hamden, a little village in the edge of 
Vinton Count}, to Portsmouth on the Ohio River, passes through 
what appears to be one of the poorest, but is actually one of the 
richest districts of its extent in this country. The land is rough and 
uninviting, but beneath its surface there is incalculable treasure. 
Jackson county, hitherto figuring as one of the most miserable 
little tracts in the State turns out to be the principal storehouse of 
this treasure. Inexhaustible veins of iron underlie its surface in all 
directions — which alone is wealth — and the w 7 oods here have been 
almost all cut off for charcoal to render it into iron with. But one 
day it was discovered that below the seams of stone coal which the 
natives had long been digging from the hills for domestic use, and 
thus saving their wood for the charcoal pits, there lay another 
seam, so similar to charcoal in appearance and behavior in the fire, 
that it was at once tried in the furnaces. The result was, it made 
iron but a small per cent, inferior to that made with charcoal. 

Here were riches incredible. The whole countrv bottomed 



History of Jackson County. 177 

with a layer of the finest smelting coal some four feet thick, ac- 
cessible in the valleys by shafts of from twenty-five to seventy-five 
feet deep; great veins of iron cropping out everywhere along the 
hills, and inexhaustible quantities of limestone on every hand. It 
was too immense a windfall for the wild little county to realize 
all of a sudden. The staid old inhabitants knew that the rugged 
surface of their land was worth a little something, even after all 
its timber had been done into charcoal; for it still pastured sheep 
and yielded them wagon-loads of ore that they could barter for 
groceries and dry goods at the furnace stores; but they were slow 
to comprehend that the mighty genii of God lay darkling under 
their sheep pastures. The few home iron men who were in the 
secret were not fanatical about proselyting outsiders, but went 
noiselessly to work handling the good thing among themselves. 
The little old paralyzed town of Jackson suddenly sprang up and 
spread out into busy population and business in a surprisingly 
brief space of time. Then some of the owners of the surface up the 
country began to see it. It leaked out a little, and prospectors 
from abroad came in and made them see it more. The price of land 
started upward, and gentle speculation set in. 

That is the point reached at the present writing. Land has 
but just started into speculative figures, and shrewd calculators are 
beginning to take it in. Prominent among these calculators is the 
celebrated "Lightning-Calculator," Hon. Harvey Wells. Wells is 
Hon. because lie is a member of the Constitutional Convention. He 
has also the distinction in that body of being the youngest member 
thereof, and of having been elected as a Republican to represent a 
Democratic constituency. Vinton county is Democratic by some 
four hundred majority; and yet, by about that majority, he carried 
it against the regular Democratic nominee. He did this by light- 
ning calculation and extravagant energy, as well as by great 
personal popularity. With the same calculation and energy he has 
been gobbling coal and iron lands here. Such gobbling is technic- 
ally termed optioning, so called because, the land owner being tied 
op to a certain price for a certain period, "the party of the second 



178 History of Jackson County. 



part" has his option for that period to take the land or not, at the 
stipulated price. 

Weli, this Wellston is one of the results of Well's optioning. 
Hon. H. S. Bundy, member of Congress from this District, has a 
thousand acre farm that lies here like the hollow of your hand — 
scooping down close to the precious coal seam, and catching the 
ore veins and limestone ledges as they slope up to the horizon on 
all sides. The Portsmouth branch of the Marietta and Cincinnati 
railroad cuts it in two. A finer site for a town it is difficult to 
imagine. With a mere bagatelle of capital, but with a good deal 
of home credit for a " visionary " young man. Wells put the Bundy 
farm in a parenthesis at $105 an acre. By the co-operation of 
Colonel S. N. Yeoman, of Fayette county, a keen and nervy antici- 
pator of values, this farm, with the appurtenances of coal shaft and 
furnaces, has just been stocked at about a quarter of a million. 
The plat of Wellston occupies the most eligible portion of the 
farm, on both sides of the railroad, its main street running parallel 
with the track, and its Broadway crossing it and terminating both 
ways on the hilltops. Two largest sized furnaces will oe put in 
process of building immediately, and simultaneously a hundred 
and fifty dwelling houses. 

This movement will be the first fair opening of the region, and 
will be the beginning of enthusiasm. There must be a rush of 
speculators here; for "where the carcass is, there will the eagles be 
gathered together." There can be no doubt about the presence 
of the carcass in this case. The wonder is that the eagles have not 
found it before. Where good and abundant iron ore, and the best 
of coal for smelting it, and the limestone for fluxing it all lie 
together in the same ground, and that ground only a hundred and 
thirty miles from a great city by railroad, the conjunction of ad- 
vantages is so rare that it can be calculated upon to attract capital 
and labor largely, because it can be depended upon for large 
returns to the same. This is not an experiment any longer. * * 

THE HUGHES CAVE SKELETON— Mr. John J. Cunning 
ham discovered a human skeleton in a cave on the lands of Mrs. 



History of Jackson Count v. 179 



Hughes, in Madison township, some two miles from Centreville, 
in January, 1870. He was fox hunting, when the fox ran under 
the rocks, and he going in after it, saw something which lie took 
to be a gourd. Picking it up he found it to be a human skull. He 
tlicn found in a depression in the rocks the entire skeleton. It was 
lying face downwards, and the bones were cramped as if the body 
had been doubled and crowded into the depression in the rocks. 

JACKSON'S REPRESENTATIVES— The first period in the 
history of Jackson County's Representatives extended from 1803 
to 1816. During this period nearly all the settled territory of Jack- 
son. County was included within the limits of Ross, and its Repre- 
sentatives can thus be claimed by Jackson. The members from 
Ross in the First Ohio House were Michael Baldwin, Robert Cul- 
bertson, Thomas Worthington and William Patton. The latter was 
one of the two men that drafted the first bill to regulate the Scioto 
Salt Works. The members in the Second House were James 
Diihlap, John Evans and Elias Langham. The name of Duncan 
MeArthur appears in 1804. David Shelby and Abraham J. 
Williams were new men in 1805. Nathaniel Massie was elected in 
180(5, and Thomas Worthington and Jeremiah McLean in 1807. 
Worthiugton was one of the men that made the first survey of 
Jackson County. Jessup N. Couch, Joseph Kerr and Samuel Mon- 
nett were new men in 1808, and Edw^ard Tiffin, already mentioned, 
in 1809. Henry Brush, Abraham Claypool, James Manary and 
William Creighton, Jr.. were elected in 1810, William Sterrett and 
Thomas Renick in 1811, Samuel Swearingen in 1812, John Mc- 
Dougall, James P>arnes and Isaac Dawson in 1813, and Thomas 
Scott in 1815. The names are given in the order in which the men 
were elected. Many of them served several terms. Several of 
them were Governors of the State, and the list includes a number 
of Congressmen. Jackson's early settlers were well represented 
before the organization of the county. That event occurred in 1816, 
and the first election for representative was held in October of 
th.it year. 

The second period began in 1S1G and lasted four years. The 



180 History of Jackson County. 



two new counties, Pike and Jackson were erected into a Legislative 
District until the census of 1820 was taken. At the first election 
there were only two candidates voted for in Jackson County, viz, 
Jared Strong and George L. Crookham. Strong carried the county 
by a vote of 171 to 89 for Crookham, and carried Pike County, also, 
and was elected. Crookham was the grandfather of the McKit- 
terick brothers of Jackson and was a man of great ability. 
Strong's wider acquaintance secured him the election, however. 
He was re-elected in 1817 with hardly any opposition. In 1818, Wil- 
liam Givens, of Jackson, was elected. Strong was not a candi- 
date and his only opponent was William Collins who received a 
light vote. Judge Givens served only one year, and was succeeded 
by Strong, who was elected for the third term, and by an over- 
whelming vote. 

The third period began in 1820, and extended to 1828. During 
this period the counties of Meigs, Gallia and Jackson formed one 
Legislative District and were entitled to two Representatives. 
There were six candidates at the election in 1820. Robert G. 
Hanna received almost the entire vote of his county and was 
elected. His associate was George House. House and David 
Boggs, of Gallia, were elected for the district in 1821. Jackson 
County was left out in the cold, but in 1822, evened up by electing 
two of its sons, Jared Strong and Joseph W. Ross. This occurred 
on account of the multiplicity of candidates in the other two 
counties. Strong was elected for the fifth time in 1823, his asso- 
ciate being Fuller Elliott. Jared Strong, the first Jackson County 
man elected to the Ohio House, had a service record which has 
never been broken, in number of terms or years. He was elected 
five times and served five years, the term being one year, under the 
old Constitution from 1803 to 1851. In 1824, Jackson secured the 
two Representatives a second time, electing J. W. Ross and David 
Mitchell. Ross was re-elected in 1825, and had Samuel Holcomb 
for bis associate. In 1826, Daniel Hoffman, of Jackson, and 
Stephen Strong were elected. Some claim that this Strong was the 
son of Hon. Jared Strong, while others assert that he was a Meigs 



History of Jackson County. 181 

County man. In 1827, George Burris, of Jackson, and Andrew 
Donnally, of Meigs, were elected. 

In 1828, Jackson and Pike wore put together again and given 
one Representative. Alexander Miller, of Jackson, was given the 
first term. John Barnes, of Bike,' was elected in 1829 and L830, 
Robert Lucas, of Bike, in 1831, Geoge Burris, of Jackson, in L832, 
Barnes again in 1833, John Burnside, of Jackson, in 1834, and 
David Mitchell, of Jackson, in 1835. 

A new district consisting of Ross, Bike and Jackson was 
formed in 183(5, which was entitled to two members, and to one 
floater the first year. James Hughes, of Jackson, was elected 
as one of the members in 1836, 1837 and 1838, and Elihu Johnson, 
in 1839. Daniel Ott was Hughes' associate in 1830 and 1837 and 
Abraham Hegler in 1838. Samuel Reed was the other member in 
1839. The floater in 183G was John I. Vanmeter, of Pike. 

Hocking was added to the district in 1840, and the new district 
was given three members. Jackson had a Representative dining 
the four years, viz, John Stinson in 1840, John James in L841, Elihu 
Johnson in 1842, and Asa R. Cassidy in 1843. The other members 
were Joseph Kaylor and James T. Worthington in 1840, David 
Karshner and Le Grand Byington in 1841, William Nelson and 
Byingtou in 1842, and Kaylor end Wesley Claypool in 1S43. Hon. Le 
Grand Byington moved to Iowa in later years, and was alive very 
recently. If he is still living, he is the oldest surviving Representa- 
tive of this county. He stumped this county during his canvass, 
and he spoke once at old Oak Hill in front of the residence of James 
Reed, where Evan I Evans now resides. 

During the next period of four years Jackson and Gallia were 
put together with one representative. Gallia was given Joseph J. 
Combs in 1844, Jackson, Martin Owens in 1845, and Alexander 
Boor in 1S46, and Gallia A. T. Holcomb in 1847. Owens was the 
father of ex-Marshal William Owens. Holcomb is dead. bu1 a 
namesake and relative is now a leading Republican of Scioto 
County. 

In 1848, Athens and Meigs were added to the district, and it 



182 History of Jackson County. 



was given a floater in addition to the regular member. The mem- 
ber in 1S48 was Hon. H. S. Bundy and the floater A. T. Holcomb. 
Joseph W. Ross was the member in 1849 and Holcomb the floater. 
Penell Cherrington, of Gallia, was the member in 1850 and Bundy 
the floater. 

During the decade following the census of 1850, Jackson and 
Vinton counties formed one Legislative District, which was repre- 
sented by six different men, viz, Daniel D. T. Hard elected in 1851, 
William J. Evans in 1853, Edward F. Bingham in 1855, Robert B. 
Stevenson in 1857, and Alexander Pierce in 3859. Stevenson re- 
signed before the end of his term, and was succeeded by William 
L. Edminston. All of these except W. J. Evans were from Vinton 
County. Evans was elected as a Whig. He is still living and 
resides near Oak Hill. He is the oldest surviving Legislator in 
the county. The two year term began with this period. 

The county now forms a single Legislative District, and has 
enjoyed that privilege since 1861, a period of thirty-nine years. 
During that time the county has had fourteen Representatives, of 
whom eight are still living, viz, James Tripp, Bernard Kahn, 
Thomas J. Harrison, R. H. Jones, B. F. Kitchen, Samuel Llewellyn 
M. T. Vanpelt and Lot Davies. Hon. Isaac Roberts, the first of the 
fourteen was the father of Mrs. H. C. Miller. He was elected in 1861 
and served one term. His successor was Hon. James Tripp, elected 
in 1863, who served two terms. In 1867, the Republican candidate 
was defeated by Hon. Levi Dungan, who served one term. Dr. 
William S. Williams, of Oak Hill, was nominated by the Repub- 
licans in 1869, and elected, but he died March 6, 1871, while at 
Columbus. His remains were brought to Oak Hill for interment. 
The writer was at the funeral. The day was rainy and gloomy and 
the funeral was one of the largest in the history of that village. 
An election to choose a successor was held March 23, 1871. Hon 
T. L. Hughes was elected. In October, 1871, the Republican candi- 
date was defeated by Hon. Bernard Kahn, who served one term. 
He is now living in Cincinnati. There was no contest in the Repub- 
lican convention of 1873, and Hon. T. J. Harrison, of Jefferson 
township, was nominated by acclamation. This was the first polit- 



History of Jackson County. 183 



ical convention attended by the writer, and it left a most vivid im- 
pression. After Harrison was nominated, he was called before the 
convention and delivered a short address. Ee was elected, but 
served only one term. In later years, he moved to Missouri, where 
he now resides. In 1875, Dr. A. B. Monahan was elected, and he 
was re-elected in 1877, but died before the end of his term. He 
belonged to a family of legislators. His brother, Hon. I. T. Mona- 
han, was Senator from this district during his first term. A 
brother and a doctor represented Vinton for two terms in recent 
years, and other brothers served in western Legislatures. Mona- 
han was succeeded by Hon. James B. Paine, who was re-elected in 
1879. Hon. R. H. Jones, then of Oak Hill, succeeded him. He 
served two terms, and as " Jones of Jackson " acquired a State 
reputation. Hon. B. F. Kitchen was elected in 1885 and served two 
terms. Hon. Samuel Llewellyn was elected in 1889 and served two 
terms, and Hon. M. T. Vanpelt was elected in 1893 and served two 
terms. He was succeeded by Hon. Lot Davis, who is now serving 
out his second term. 

Jackson County has had fifty-nine Representatives since its 
organization. Of those who were its own citizens H. S. Bundy 
became the most distinguished. Robert Lucas, of Pike, who rep- 
resented it in 1831, became Governor of Ohio the next year, and 
was re-elected in 1834. John I. Vanmeter, who represented it in 
1836, was elected to the Twenty-eighth Congress. Byington was a 
candidate for Congress in Iowa in the early years of the war. 
Others have held many positions of honor and trust. James Hughes, 
who served from 1836 to 1839, established the Jackson Stand- 
ard. Martin Owens established the Jackson Union, but it did not 
survive long. John James was the grandfather of ex-Warden C. C. 
James. Personal popularity had much to do with the success of 
the men elected under the old Constitution. It was only after Jack- 
eon became a single district that political lines were tightly drawn. 
Roberts was elected in 1861 as a Republican, and that party has 
controlled the county ever since, Levi Dungan and Bernard Kahn 
being the only Democrats to break the lines. 



184 History of Jackson County 



WITCHES — The south part of Jackson County, and the ad- 
joining parts of Scioto and Lawrence, were settled early in the 
present century by the poorer classes of persons from Western Vir- 
ginia. They possessed many good traits of character, and some 
which were not so good. From the amount of ceremony attending 
the marriages among them, as I have already described, one would 
suppose that the marriage relation among them would be highly 
esteemed; but such was not always the case. On one occasion a 
man conceived that he had been worsted in his marriage contract, 
and traded his wife to another man for a penknife, worth 50 cents. 
The purchaser took possession, and the parties lived together quite 
happily until they left the county, and for aught I know, they are 
living together yet. 

Occasionally an old bachelor was found among these early 
settlers. There was Jesse Rees, the tailor, who made my first coat 
for me. He built a cabin away back across the Black Fork of 
Symmes' creek, miles from any other settler. It was at the foot of 
a steep hill, which is known to this day as "Rees' Ridge." This 
place is about a mile from Jefferson Furnace. There Rees lived all 
alone. He was an inoffensive man, but terribly addicted to drink- 
ing whisky. When partially intoxicated, he was in the habit of 
boasting of a large amount of property in which he had some in- 
terest at King's Salt Works, near Charleston, Virginia. 

Witches were very troublesome in the days of the first settle- 
ments in this county. The cows would become bewitched, and kick 
over the milk pail. The butter would not come with any amount 
of churning. The only remedy was to cut a small piece from the 
end of the cow's tail, take that and a few drops of her blood, and a 
little of her milk, and cover them in the hottest part of the fire, 
and the witch would be rendered very uncomfortable, and would 
very likely relieve the cow. Hogs were often bewitched. A farmer 
told me once that he had lost many fine hogs at the hands of the 
witches. The hogs would commence running around, fall down in 
a kind of convulsive fit, and scon die. He and his brother were out 
one day burning brush, when a witch seized one of his hogs, and 
it fell near the burning brush heap. He told his brother to pick it 



History of Jackson County. 185 



up and throw it into the fire. It was apparently dying, but as his 
brother stooped to take hold of it, it jumped up as well as ever, and 
ran off. The witch having so narrow an escape, did not trouble his 
hogs any further. 

But the witches often attacked persons. I know a young 

woman once who was sorely troubled for years by , a witch, 

living in the neighborhood. I have seen this young woman seized 
in time of religious meetings, and it was a fearful sight. No one 

could hold her but , her beau. Great tenor would seize the 

congregation when these attacks were made. It was the subject of 
gossip for miles around. The aid of witch doctors was invoked. 
They made a profile of Mrs. , the witch, and shot it with a bul- 
let made of silver. They resorted to other means, too mysterious to 
be made known, and finally Mrs. was rendered so uncomfort- 
able that her husband was compelled to sell his little farm and 
leave the county. A most horrid case of witchcraft occurred in 
this county since my recollection. A young girl near the town of 

was bewitched. The witch would cause the dishes to move 

from the cupboard to the table, and back again, without any hu- 
man agency. Nearly all the clothes about the house were cut to 
pieces by the witches. Persons went many miles to see these 
strange sights. The whole county was excited, and scarcely any- 
thing else was talked about for many months. 

Witches often played strange pranks. They would often at- 
tack persons who happened to be caught out alone at nights, and 
throw a bridle over their heads, force the bit into their mouths, 
mount them and ride them over hill and hollow, through brush and 
briars, until the poor wretches were completely exhausted, and 
would return early in the morning looking more than half dead. 

Witches would often appear of rainy nights, especially in low, 
swampy places, as "Jack with the lantern." The witch would com- 
mence as a torch light, and the traveler, too glad to have a light t» 
show him his way, would follow. The light would move, and com- 
mence dancing, and then the party was in for it, and was compelled 
to follow it whithersoever it went. It would lead him into the worst 
mud and mire, and then it would stop and laugh at his calamity, 



186 History of Jackson County. 



and mock when his fear came. I cannot give the sound of this 
laugh in print, but is was something like "heuck, heuck, heuck." An 
old man from Old Virginia told me that he had often and often 
been thus led by witches. Once he became completely exhausted 
and crept into a hollow log as far as he could get, but his hips and 
legs were exposed. The witches came and battered him over the 
hips until he was glad to get out of the log and pursue his way. His 
hips were bruised until they were black and blue for many days. 
The only way to get this witch spell broken, was to turn some por- 
tion of Your garments wrong side out, when the light would in- 
stantly disappear and you were free. 

Witches would often kill sheep and cattle by shooting them 
with balls made of hair, very closely and mysteriously wound to- 
gether. These balls never made any external opening in the skin, 
but were often cut out of the dead animals, in various parts of the 
body. — Standard. 

SYMMES CKEEK — John Cleves Symmes was born on Long 
Island in 1742, removed to New Jersey, was colonel of militia in the 
Revolution, served in the Continental congress, and on the supreme 
bench of New Jersey, received a patent for a tract of more than 
three hundred thousand acres on the Miami, was married three 
times, and died at Cincinnati, in 1814. His memory has almost 
been forgotten but the tortuous creek which drains the upland flats 
of Jackson county, and flows south forever, fed by strong springs 
welling forth from lime and coal strata, will preserve his name. 

Symmes creek is a post glacial stream. It was formed by the 
pent up waters of a lost river whose mouth was choked by the gla- 
cier, seeking an outlet into the deeply eroded bed of the Ohio. The 
old valley of the lost river can be traced easily through this county 
from Beaver to Centreville. The closing of its mouth by the ice 
converted that part of it now included in this county into a long 
but narrow lake. The floods at the close of the glacial period caus- 
ed this lake to overflow at three or more points. These overflows 
cut gorges which in course of time emptied the lake, and, that duty 
done, continued to be regular water courses. Erosion is still in 



History of Jackson County. \8T 

progress, and their valleys are widening year by year. The Salt 
Creek gorge is nearest to Jackson. The South Fork of this creek 
occupies the old river bed from Camba to a point about a mile be- 
low Jackson. It then flows through a narrow gorge of its own mak- 
ing, which is easily accessible to every Jackson boy or girl who 
cares to study it. The two forks which join to form Symmes creek 
down in Gallia county, flow through gorges of the same general 
character, but they are older, the work of erosion has continued 
longer, and the hills have been rounded out more, and the exposed 
strata covered. It should be noted, that while these gorges were 
emptying the glacial lake, many small streams were carrying in 
sand and mud, and gradually filling the deeper parts of the lake 
bed. With the subsidence of the waters, the force of the current in 
each gorge was lessened, and there came a time when the cutting 
practically ceased. But the washing in of material continued un- 
abated until all the low places were filled. The lake bottom then 
became a marsh, and such was the condition of the lowlands in this 
county, when the white man came. Drainage has converted those 
marshes into meadows, and the flats on the head waters of Symmes 
are now the best land in the county. 



FKANKLIN VALLEY— The flat south of Camba goes by the 
name of Franklin Valley. It is irregular in shape but broadens to- 
ward the south and has an area of about one thousand acres. It is 
hemmed in by low crowned hills, but a low gap connects it with 
Salt Creek valley on the north, and two valleys drain its waters to 
the east and south. The first stream flows on by easy stages until 
it loses itself in Cackley swamp on the Grassy Fork of Symmes. It 
bears no name. The second stream is the Black Fork of Symmes. 
Its bed drains the lowest lands of the flat. The waters of the gla- 
cial lake lingered longest at the poijit where it enters the gorge 
through the hills to the south. Nature was thwarted in her effort 
to drain this marsh, by the skilful engineering of the beaver. The 
valley of Black Fork was one of their favorite haunts, for its tor- 
tuous course furnished so many suitable sites for dams. These 
dams held back the waters in ponds, the largest of which occupied 



188 History of Jackson County. 

the lowest level of Franklin valley, and bore the name of Beaver 
pond. This name given by the Indians, was retained by the whites 
and still designates the spot, although the water has been drained 
away. The presence of the beaver, and of the buffalo which were 
attracted by the sweet grasses of the marshes, made this a favorite 
hunting ground of the Indians. The buffalo lingered on the head- 
waters of Symmes until the beginning of this century. Two were 
killed on Grassy Fork in the neighborhood of Emory church in 
1800 ; others of the herd were killed near Winchester in 1801, and 
the last survivor was shot by an old hunter named Keenes in the 
Franklin valley neighborhood in 1802. The beaver remained until 
their dams were broken down by the ruthless salt boilers. This let 
out the waters, and the clearing of the timber and the straighten 
ing of the creeks drained all the smaller ponds at an early day. 
Beaver pond held its own for half a century more, but the deepen- 
ing of the Black Fork channel within the last seven years, has end- 
«ed its history. 



inlj>e::x: 



A Postoffice Established 82 

A Band of Hunters 45 

A Jackson County Mammoth ... 7 
A Petition for a License to Keep 

a Tavern 114 

A Forgotten Graveyard 139 

Annexed to Virginia. . .... 32 

An Act Regulating the Public 

Salt Works 76 

An Act to Encourage Experi- 
ments at the Scioto Salt Works 83 
An Act to Erect the County of 

Jackson 96 

An Archaeological Find 25 

Annexed to Quebec 40 

Appearance of the Licks 35 

Autumnal Fevers 135 

Battle of Point Pleasant 42 

Beaver 20 

Bloomfield 99 

Botetourt County 41 

Boone's Visit 45 

Briggs' Notes. 88 

Camp Rock 94 

Camp of 1812 94 

Captain Batts' Expedition 32 

Captain Strong's Company 94 

Ceded to the United States 48 

Commissioners and Director 

Appointed 125 

Commissioners' Proceedings. . . . H>7 

Congress Acts 64 

Counting the Votes 103 

Darling's Interview 145 

De Celoron's Expedition 35 

Deer 17 

Early Criminal Record 117 

End of French Dominion 40 

Escape of Samuel Davis 54 

First Whi»e Visitors 33 

First English Visitors 34 

First Commissioners 98 

First Year's Taxes Ill 

First Term of Court 112 

First Criminal Case 114 

First Petit Jury 115 

Fossil Bones 5 

Franklin 100 

Gallatin's Suggestion 74 

General Lewis at the Licks 44 

Geortre L. Crook ham . . . : 67 

Green's Exnedition 57 

Harrison's Recommendation .... 74 

Hildreth's Notes 84 

Human Skeletors 27 

Illinois County Organized 47 



Introduction 5 

Jackson's First Director 128 

Jackson County Erected .... 95 

Jonathan Alder 47 

July 4. 1817 130 

La Salle 33 

Leasing the Licks 75 

Lick Township 91 

Lick 101 

Lord Dunmore's War 42 

Madison 102 

MUton 1"2 

Noted Salt Boiler 104 

New Town Laid Out 126 

Other Pioneers 68 

Other Salt Lick Legislation ... 82 

Other Business 115 

Panthers 18 

Primeval Man 21 

Ross County 91 

R. ck Shelters 26 

Salt 26 

Sale of Lots 127 

Selecting the Site 125 

Some Bear Stories 14 

Some Recollections 142 

Squatter Sovereignty 66 

Story of the Ashes 29 

Survey of Jackson County 89 

Teachers' Examiners 134 

The First Agent 79 

The Mammoth 5 

The M astodon 8 

The Megatherium 9 

The Buffalo 11 

The Elk 14 

The Raccoon 20 

The Last Otter 20 

The Mound Builders 22 

The Old Fort 23 

The Salt Pans 30 

The Shawanese 31 

The Historic Period 31 

The First Map 36 

The Halterman Boys 36 

The James Forav 60 

The Second Salt" Boiler 64 

The First Salt Boiler 63 

The First Road 80 

The Last Road Appropriations. . 80 

Thomas Oliver 73 

The War of 1812 92 

The First Election 99 

The First Road Petition Ill 

The First Fall Election 115 

The First Convict 11^ 



The County Seat 121 

The First Jail 129 

The First Court House 132 

The First Merchants 133 

The First Bankrupt 134 

The First Deaths 137 

The Old Graveyard 138 

-The Bunn Graveyard 140 



The End 147 

Tiffin's Message 81 

Treaty of Greenville 62 

Veterans of the Revolution 70 

Wavne's Campaign 56 

William Hewitt, the Hermit .... 49 

Wild Game 9 

Wolves 18 



misce:i^lany. 



A Southern Term 1 49 

An Old-lime Will 151 

An Old Time Wedding- 174 

An Act to Incorporate the Iron 

Railroad Company 169 

Burning of the Court House 156 

Citizens' Bank 172 

Franklin Valley 187 

Importing Cards 152 

Jackson's Representatives 179 

Jamestown Cemetery 1-5 

Jefferson 150 

Last Will and Testament of 

Hannah Thompson 151 

Lead Legends 153 



Mackley's Recollections 157 

Mt. Zion Cemetery 173 

Patent for Section 29 150 

Price's Recollections 163 

Symmes Creek 186 

The Hughes Cave Skeleton .... 178 

The Lackey Tavern 155 

Tt-e Martin Mound 156 

The First Railroad 166 

The First Bank 171 

The Mather Cemetery 172 

Township Names 149 

Washington 149 

Wellston's Beginning 176 

Vitches 184 





















■■' 

































































































































































Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. 
Neutralizing Agent: Magnesium Oxide 
Treatment Date: 









AUG 1998 




_ 



PRESERVATION TECHNOLOGIES. LP. 
1 1 1 Thomson Park Drive 
Cranberry Township. PA 16066 
(724)779-2111 



